LO  N I A 1 


AND 


REVOLUTION 


ES 


TRINITY  COLLEGE 
LIBRARY 


DURHAM,  NORTH  CAROLINA 


RecM . NOV  1 2 1902 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 
Duke  University  Libraries 


https://archive.org/details/catherineschuyle01  hump 


IVOMEN  OF  COLONIAL  AND 
REVOLUTIONARY  TIMES  sss 


WO*  OMIT*IA<l  JIO  VU-  MOSW  SaiYUHDa  30  riA«1M'.»*l 

-5WOY  WrJZ  .*OTO*!7Sfl  30  ..Q.'iii  ;J‘[  I .'ijh1,-  • j;h“  yg  u-i/'.vo 


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PORTRAIT  OF  CATHERINE  SCHUYLER.  FROM  AN  OIL  PAINTING  NOW 
OWNED  BY  PHILIP  SCHUYLER.  ESQ.,  OF  IRVINGTON.  NEW  YORK. 


WOMEN  OF  COLONIAL  AND 
REVOLUTIONARY  TIMESES— 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 

BY  MARY  GAY  HUMPHREYS 


WITH  PORTRAIT 

O 

0 


CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 
NEW  YORK 


MDCCCCI 


Copyright,  t8q7,  by 
Charles  Scribner's  Sons 


ffitnf&rrsftg  prrss 

John  Wilson  and  Son,  Cambridge,  U.  S.A. 


PREFACE 


The  period  embraced  within  the  years  of 
Catherine  Schuyler's  life  is  the  most  exciting  in 
American  history.  In  its  military  aspect  it 
comprehends  the  French  and  Indian  War  and 
the  Revolution.  In  its  political  aspect  it  includes 
the  life  of  the  Colony  and  the  beginnings  of  the 
Nation. 

Through  the  position  of  her  own  family  and 
as  the  wife  of  General  Philip  Schuyler , she  is  a 
representative  figure  among  the  ivomen  of  the 
Dutch  Colony  and  the  matrons  of  the  Revolution. 
At  the  same  time , in  her  own  character  she  was  so 
domestic , retiring , and  unobtrusive  that  many  of 
the  details  of  her  life  can  only  be  discovered  indi- 
rectly and  with  difficulty.  The  impression  which 
a study  extending  over  a considerable  period 
of  all  the  authorities  has  left  will  be  discovered  in 
this  volume. 


PREFACE 


The  authorities  mainly  responsible  are  the 
records  of  the  Van  Rensselaer  family  ; Lossing's 
Biography  of  General  Philip  Schuyler  and 
Field  Boole  of  the  Revolution ; Schuyler’s  Colo- 
nial New  York;  MunselVs  Annals  of  Albany ; 
the  Correspondence  of  John  Jay  ; the  Letters  of 
Abigail  Adams  ; the  Diary  of  Tench  Tilghman  ; 
the  Rutherford  Papers ; The  Story  of  an  Old 
Farm  ; Mrs.  Lamb's  History  of  the  City  of  New 
York ; the  Life  of  Sir  William  Johnson , by 
William  L.  Stone;  The  Republican  Court; 
Marshall's  Washington  ; the  Travels  of  de  Chas- 
teleux , Brissot  de  Warville,  and  de  Rochefou- 
cauld-Liancourt ; The  Sexagenary ; Thacher's 
Military  Journal ; Autobiography  of  John  Trum- 
bull ; the  Correspondence  of  Baron  Steuben , 
Greneral  Cates , and  Ceneral  Charles  Lee , in  the 
Historical  Society  Library  of  New  York  City ; 
the  newspapers  of  that  period , and  more  particu- 
larly The  Memoirs  of  an  American  Lady , by 
Mrs.  Grant  of  Laggan. 

The  thanks  of  the  author  are  due  to  the  gen- 
erous co-operation  of  Miss  Fanny  Schuyler , 
through  the  papers  of  her  brother , John  Schuyler , 

of  the  elder  branch  ; to  Miss  Georgina  Schuyler , 
vi 


PREFACE 


Mrs.  Howard  Townsend , Miss  Cornelia  Cruger , 
Mrs.  Sydney  Morse , General  John  Cochran ; 
and  to  Mr.  Philip  Schuyler  for  the  opportunity 
of  examining  the  Correspondence  of  General 
Philip  Schuyler. 


CONTENTS 


I—  COURTSHIP  AT  ALBANY 

Marriage  in  the  Dutch  Colony  — Amusements  of  the 
Young  People  — Education  of  Girls  and  Boys  — Com- 
parison between  the  Women  of  the  English  and 
Dutch  Settlements— Social  Position  of  Catherine  Van 
Rensselaer 

II—  A SOLDIER’S  WIFE 

Opening  of  the  Seven  Years’  War  — The  Tragedy  of 
Maria  Keith  — The  Commissioners  at  Albany  — Philip 
Schuyler  and  his  Family  — Jealousy  between  the  Pro- 
vincial and  Royal  Troops  — The  Battle  of  Lake  George 
— Marriage  of  Catherine  Van  Rensselaer  and  Philip 
Schuyler — Wedding  Ceremonies  and  Wedding  Finery 
of  the  Dutch  Colonists 

III—  THE  YOUNG  MISTRESS 

The  Mother  of  Philip  Schuyler — Madame  Schuyler  of 
The  Flatts — Description  of  her  Household — Entertain- 
ment of  Guests  — Slavery  at  Albany  — Executive  Abil- 
ity of  Dutch  Housewives  — Ann  Eliza  Bleeker  as  a 
Literary  Woman  

IN— YOUNG  MARRIED  LIFE 

The  Theatre  at  Albany  — Rev.  Theodore  Frelinghuysen 
and  his  Fate  — Lord  Howe  and  the  Schuylers  — The 
Defeat  at  Oswego  — The  “Indian  Field”  and  its  His- 
tory— The  Schuyler  Bam  — Charles  Lee  and  Madame 
Schuyler  — The  Defeat  at  Ticonderoga  — Burial  of 
Lord  Howe  — The  Marriage  of  Gertrude  Schuyler  . . 
ix 


CONTENTS 


is— THE  MISTRESS  OF  THE  MANSION 

Capture  of  Frontenac — General  Bradstreet  and  the 
Schuylers  — Philip  Schuyler’s  Voyage  to  England  — 
Building  of  the  Albany  Mansion  — The  Schuyler  Pears 
— A Colonial  Woman’s  Linen  and  Plate  — The  Markets 
at  Albany — Catherine  Schuyler  Shopping  — Reading 
among  the  Dutch  Colonists  — Death  of  Philip  Schuyler’s 
Mother  — Funeral  Customs  at  Albany  in  1763  ...  60 


VI— THE  CHATELAINE  OF  SARATOGA 

Views  of  the  Colonists  in  respect  to  Land  — The  Found- 
ing of  the  Saratoga  Settlement  — The  Part  of  Catherine 
Schuyler — The  Country  Seat  at  Saratoga  — The  Con- 
veyance of  the  Estate  to  the  Eldest  Son  — Philip 
Schuyler’s  Tribute  to  his  Wife  79 


VII— VISITING  AND  RECEIVING  VISITS 

A Sketch  of  Sir  Henry  Moore  — Domestic  Life  at 
Johnson  Hall  — The  Hudson  in  1763  — Sir  Henry  and 
Lady  Moore  at  Saratoga  — The  Schuylers  in  New  York 
— Court  Life  — Diversions  of  the  Day  — Visit  to 
Colonel  Arent  Schuyler — Clerical  Politics  ....  92 


VIII— MAKING  READY  FOR  THE  STORM 

Ladies  learning  to  Spin  — Economy  the  Fashion  — The 
New  Hampshire  Grants  — The  Journey  to  Boston  — 

Visit  of  the  Cherokee  Chiefs  — Exchange  of  Stolen 
Children  at  Albany  — The  Liberty  Pole — Governor 
and  Mrs.  Try  on  visit  the  Schuylers 112 


IX— THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  STRUGGLE 

The  News  of  Lexington  at  Saratoga  — Philip  Schuyler, 

Major  General  — Last  Indian  Council  at  Albany  — 

Tench  Tilghman  at  the  Schuylers’  — Catherine  Schuy- 
ler’s Journey  to  Ticonderoga  — Plot  to  burn  Saratoga 
— Visit  of  Franklin  and  Charles  Carroll 130 


x 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

X— THE  BATTLE  OF  SARATOGA 

General  Schuyler  superseded  by  General  Gates  — The 
Murder  of  Jane  McCrea  — Catherine  Schuyler  bums  the 
Wheat  — Entertaining  Burgoyne  at  Albany  — Madame 
Riedesel’s  Account  of  her  Stay  at  the  Schuylers’  — A 
Housekeeper’s  Trials  — Visit  of  Chastellux  and  other 
French  Noblemen  — The  Rebuilding  of  Saratoga  . . 150 

XI—  CAMPAIGNING  AT  MORRISTOWN 

Gayety  of  Camp  Life  — Social  Circle  at  Morristown  — 

A Brilliant  Group  of  Aides-de-Camp  — The  Visit  of 
Elizabeth  Schuyler  — Courtship  of  Alexander  Hamilton 
— The  Treason  of  Arnold  — Hamilton’s  Love  Letter  . 167 

XII—  THE  GIRLS  AND  BOYS 

The  Romantic  Girl  of  the  Revolution  — The  Elope- 
ment of  Angelina  Schuyler  — Plot  to  abduct  General 
Schuyler — Elopement  of  Margaret  and  the  Young 
Patroon  — Early  Married  Life  of  the  Hamiltons  — 
Moonlight  Elopement  of  Washington  Morton  and 
Cornelia  Schuyler  — The  Churches  in  London  — The 
Pranks  of  the  Boys 186 

XIII—  THE  FIRST  ADMINISTRATION 

The  Importance  of  its  Etiquette  — The  Dignity  of  the 
Executive  Household  — The  Extravagance  of  the  Day 
— Comparison  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia  Girls  — 
Washington’s  Theatre  Party  — Social  Life  in  New  York 
in  1793  . . 226 

XIV—  NEARING  THE  END 

Catherine  Schuyler  and  her  Daughters  — The  Boys  at 
School  — The  Excitement  of  Political  Life  — The  Fam- 
ily Triumvirate  — Hamilton’s  Resignation  — The  Canal 
Scheme  — The  Hospitalities  of  the  Household  — The 
Question  of  the  Beginning  of  the  New  Century  — 

Catherine  Schuyler’s  Death 240 

xi 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


i 

COURTSHIP  AT  ALBANY 

u — with  love  to  Peggy  and  sweet  Kitty  V. 
R.  when  you  see  her.”  No  heroine  of  fiction 
was  ever  more  attractively  presented  for  the 
first  time  to  public  view  than  “ sweet  Kitty 
Y.  R.” 

The  yellowed  strip  of  paper  bears  the  date 
September  21st,  1753.  It  was  written  by  a 
careless,  good-humored  youth  of  nineteen, 
Philip  Schuyler,  then  in  New  York  seeing  the 
sights,  to  his  friend  “ Brom,”  in  after  days 
General  Abraham  Ten  Broek,  at  Albany. 

Two  years  afterward  in  the  family  Bible  that 
belonged  to  Major  General  Philip  Schuyler,  is 
found,  inscribed  in  his  own  handwriting,  this 
record : 

“ In  the  Year  1755,  on  the  17th  of  Septem- 
ber, was  I,  Philip  John  Schuyler,  married  (in 
the  21st  Year,  9th  Month,  and  17th  Day  of  his 
Age)  to  Catherine  Van  Rensselaer,  aged  20 

i l 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


Years,  9 Months,  and  27  Days.  May  we  live 
In  Peace  and  to  the  Glory  of  God.” 

Catherine  Van  Rensselaer  was  the  daughter 
of  Colonel  John  Van  Rensselaer,  the  son  of 
Hendrick,  the  grandson  of  Killian,  the  first 
Patroon,  and  of  Engeltke  Livingston,  as  An- 
gelica was  then  written.  Colonel  John,  whose 
father  was  a younger  son  of  the  Patroon,  occu- 
pied what  was  known  as  the  “ lower  manor 
house,”  at  Claverack,  about  forty  miles  from 
Albany,  and  a few  miles  back  from  what  is 
now  the  town  of  Hudson.  Here  he  held  in 
part  those  semi-manorial  rights  that  went  with 
the  land.  It  was  a disturbed  existence  among 
turbulent  tenants,  aspiring  innkeepers,  and  rest- 
less Indians,  as  one  may  read  between  the  lines 
of  the  dusty  State  records.  That  his  daughter 
made  long  and  frequent  visits  to  her  rela- 
tives in  Albany,  where  she  enjoyed  the  prece- 
dence and  pleasures  that  her  birth  and  fortunes 
entitled  her,  may  be  easily  hazarded.  Here 
she  was  known  as  “ The  Morning  Star.”  Such 
a happy  phrase  implies  a concord  of  graceful 
traits,  and  renders  unnecessary  a good  deal  of 
biographical  detail.  From  it  may  also  be  in- 
ferred the  romantic  temper  of  the  times. 

Marriage  in  the  Colony  was  always  early. 
The  organization  of  Dutch  society  seemed  con- 
structed toward  that  end.  But  the  approach 
2 


COURTSHIP  AT  ALBANY 


gave  as  idyllic  a playground  to  the  affections 
as  any  country  or  any  period  ever  conceded! 
Children  of  only  five  years  entered  into  some 
company,  such  as  social  restrictions  or  inclina- 
tion indicated,  the  boys  and  girls  being  of 
equal  number.  Each  company  had  its  leader, 
according  to  that  natural  supremacy  which 
is  undisputed  among  children,  and  this  leader 
was  recognized  and  obeyed.  A little  English 
maid,  dwelling  among  them  in  after  years,  gave 
a picturesque  account  of  these  companies. 

“Every  child  was  permitted  to  entertain  the  whole 
company  on  its  birthday,  and  once  beside  during 
the  winter  and  spring.  The  master  and  mistress 
of  the  family  were  obliged  to  go  from  home  on  the 
occasion,  while  some  domestic  of  the  family  was 
left  to  attend  and  watch  over  them,  with  an  ample 
provision  for  tea,  chocolate,  preserved  fruits,  nuts, 
and  cakes  of  various  kinds,  to  which  was  added 
cider,  syllabub,  for  these  young  friends  met  at  four, 
and  did  not  part  until  nine  or  ten,  and  amused 
themselves  with  the  utmost  freedom  and  gaiety  in 
any  way  their  fancy  dictated,  for  no  person  that 
does  not  belong  to  the  company  is  ever  admitted  to 
these  meetings;  other  children  or  young  people 
visit  occasionally,  and  are  civilly  treated,  but  they 
admit  no  intimacies  beyond  the  company. 

“Each  company  at  a certain  time  of  the  year 
went  in  a body  to  gather  a particular  kind  of  berry, 
to  the  hills.  It  was  a sort  of  annual  festival,  at- 
3 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


tended  with  religious  punctuality.  Every  company 
had  a uniform  for  this  purpose ; that  is  to  say,  very 
pretty  light  baskets  made  by  the  Indians  with  lids 
and  handles,  which  hung  over  the  arm,  and  were 
adorned  with  various  colors.  The  older  members 
were  permitted  to  go  off  unattended  in  canoes  among 
the  islands  of  the  river.  They  would  be  off  by 
sunrise;  at  nine  or  ten  they  were  landed.  The 
boys  had  their  axes,  and  finding  some  umbrageous 
spot  would  clear  an  opening,  above  which  they 
twined  and  bent  the  boughs  to  make  a pleasant 
bower,  while  the  girls  dried  the  branches  for  the 
breakfast  fire.  A pinch  of  gunpowder  supplied 
the  match.  After  breakfast  the  boys  set  out  to  fish 
or  hunt,  while  the  girls  sewed  or  knit,  for  the 
Dutch  girls  were  taught  to  bring  pleasure  to  their 
work  and  work  to  their  pleasure.  After  the  sul- 
try hours  had  been  thus  employed,  the  boys  brought 
them  their  tribute  from  the  river  or  the  wood,  and 
found  a rural  meal  prepared  by  their  fair  compan- 
ions, among  whom  were  generally  their  sisters  and 
the  chosen  of  their  hearts.  After  dinner  they  all 
set  out  to  gather  wild  strawberries  or  whatever  fruit 
was  in  season ; for  it  was  accounted  a reflection  to 
come  home  empty  handed.  When  weary  they  either 
drank  tea  in  their  bower  or  returning  landed  at 
some  friend’s  on  the  way  to  partake  of  that 
refreshment.” 

Every  family  kept  its  gig,  and  another  amuse- 
ment was  to  go  to  the  bush  and  combine 

4 


COURTSHIP  AT  ALBANY 


pleasure  with  charity  by  surprising  some  poor 
farmer’s  family  with  a visit.  One  would  take 
negus,  another  tea  or  coffee,  a third  a pigeon 
pie.  These  visits  were  taken  in  good  part. 
The  farmer’s  wife  would  open  her  best  room, 
bring  out  her  stores  of  cream,  nuts,  and  fruit, 
such  as  the  bush  provided,  and  the  hosts  and 
guests  share  the  meal  with  ease  and  frankness. 
The  exchange  was  more  than  equal  on  its 
substantial  side.  But  it  afforded  the  young 
people  the  opportunity  of  doing  good  without 
humiliation,  and  what  was  doubtless  at  the 
time  of  more  moment,  a dance  in  the  wood 
and  moonlit  rambles  until  the  time  of  going 
home.  In  the  winter  these  amusements  were 
changed  but  not  interrupted.  The  girls  and 
boys  of  the  companies  were  off  in  sleighs  by 
night  visiting  distant  friends  and  stopping  from 
house  to  house,  whether  or  not  they  knew  the 
inmates,  such  was  the  good  fellowship  of  the 
times.  But  the  great  diversion  of  the  times 
was  coasting. 

“ Nick,”  said  Lafayette,  on  his  last  visit  to 
this  country,  to  Colonel  Nicholas  Fish,  as  they 
went  up  the  Hudson,  “ Nick,  do  you  re- 
member when  we  used  to  ride  down  those 
hills  on  an  ox-sled  with  the  Newburgh  girls  ? ” 
Thus  it  was  at  Albany  down  the  broad  street 
that  led  from  the  Fort  hill,  now  known  as 

5 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


State,  the  elders  in  the  moon  and  starlit  nights 
huddled  in  furs  on  the  porticos  watching  the 
spectacle. 

So  exclusive  were  the  intimacies  of  these 
companies  that  “ it  was  reckoned  a sort  of 
apostacy  to  marry  out  on  one’s  company.” 
This  rarely  happened.  The  inclination  of  a 
particular  boy  to  a particular  girl  was  a matter 
of  course.  He  was  her  cavalier;  she  his 
stimulus  to  prowess  of  a manly  sort.  “ Of 
love  not  fed  by  hope  they  had  no  idea,”  says 
the  biographer  of  these  fortunate  young  Al- 
banians. If  they  made  their  last  adventure 
without  the  sanction  of  their  elders  they  were 
speedily  forgiven.  So  admirable  a matrimonial 
system  could  scarcely  end  otherwise  than  well, 
and  we  are  told  that  marital  infelicities  were 
rare. 

But  in  the  ordinary  course  of  events,  when 
the  youth  felt  himself  deeply  stirred,  he  put 
aside  his  gun  and  fishing-rod,  and  asked  of  his 
father  some  money,  a slave,  and  a canoe.  His 
brow  grew  thoughtful,  and  he  adopted  a pipe. 
With  his  money  he  purchased  beads,  trinkets, 
blankets,  guns,  powder,  not  forgetting  for  vari- 
ous reasons  a supply  of  rum.  With  these  he 
purposed  laying  the  foundations  of  his  for- 
tunes as  an  Indian  trader.  His  pipe  was 
not  so  much  an  insignia  of  manhood,  as  a 
6 


COURTSHIP  AT  ALBANY 


defence  against  the  ague  of  the  swamps  and 
the  insects  of  the  woods.  Dressing  himself 
in  a backwoodsman’s  dress  of  skins,  accom- 
panied by  his  negro  boy,  the  canoe  was 
launched  amid  the  tears  of  mother  and  sisters, 
and  among  the  weeping  company  was  a maiden, 
who  well  knew  what  prompted  the  hazardous 
voyage. 

It  was  necessary  for  the  success  of  the  en- 
terprise to  keep  away  from  the  beaten  track 
of  the  traders.  The  path  must  lead  toward 
distant  hunting  grounds  and  unknown  tribes. 
There  were  trackless  swamps,  unbroken  woods, 
long  portages  to  make  in  which  the  canoe 
and  cargo  must  be  borne  on  the  shoulders, 
dangers  from  wild  beasts  and  snakes,  hunger 
to  be  appeased  by  fishing  and  hunting  by  day, 
nights  to  be  spent  in  the  open  air,  work  with 
the  ase  for  fire  as  a defence  against  wolves 
and  mosquitoes.  When  the  destination  was 
reached,  as  far  sometimes  as  Huron  and 
Mackinac,  diplomacy,  address,  skill,  patience, 
were  necessary  in  order  to  dispose  of  the  cargo 
to  the  wary  savage,  and  to  secure  in  return 
skins  and  furs  for  the  homeward  journey. 

The  effect  of  this  voyage  was  to  change  the 
careless,  pleasure-loving  youth  into  the  thought- 
ful man.  “ It  is  utterly  inconceivable,”  we 
are  told,  “ how  a single  season  spent  in  this 
7 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


manner,  ripened  the  mind,  changed  the  whole 
appearance,  nay  the  very  character  of  these 
demi -savages,  for  such  they  seemed  returning 
from  among  their  friends  in  the  forest. 
Lofty,  collected,  sedate,  they  seem  masters 
of  themselves,  and  independent  of  others ; 
sunburnt,  austere,  one  scarcely  knows  them 
until  they  unbend.”  After  the  delights  of 
the  safe  return,  the  youth  would  go  to  New 
York  and  dispose  of  his  skins.  The  money 
was  laid  out  in  stores  for  fresh  adventure, 
perhaps  again  to  the  woods,  or,  it  might  be, 
to  Bermuda  on  some  light  flying  schooner, 
bringing  back  in  exchange  a cargo  of  rum, 
sugar  and  molasses. 

Meanwhile  the  girl  was  perfecting  herself  in 
the  arts  of  housekeeping,  so  dear  to  the  Dutch 
matron.  The  care  of  the  dairy,  the  poultry, 
the  spinning,  the  baking,  the  brewing,  the 
immaculate  cleanliness  of  the  Dutch,  were  not 
so  much  duties  as  sacred  household  rites.  In 
comparison  with  these  duties  the  interminable 
knitting  of  scarlet  clocks  and  other  imposing 
hosiery  girt  up  with  silver  buckles,  was  but  a 
pleasant  pastime,  as  were  the  leisure  hours  in 
the  garden  under  a widespreading  calash  with 
basket  and  scissors  among  the  flowers. 

Notwithstanding  the  social  rank  of  Philip 
and  Catherine  Schuyler,  they  followed  the 
8 


COURTSHIP  AT  ALBANY 


customs  of  their  times.  “ The  Yan  Rensselaer 
women  were  all  noted  housekeepers,”  says  one 
of  their  descendants.  They  were  women  of 
homekeeping’  instincts,  of  executive  ability 
within  their  own  domain,  not  ambitious,  and 
without  distinctively  intellectual  acquirements. 
Philip  Schuyler  was  placed  at  sixteen  in  the 
school  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Steuppe  at  New 
Rochelle.  The  education  of  the  young  colonists 
was  largely  in  the  hands  of  the  French 
refugees  who  fled  to  this  country  after  the  Revo- 
cation of  the  Edict  of  Nantes.  Parson  Steuppe 
was  eccentric,  his  wife  parsimonious.  The  boys 
had  hardly  enough  to  eat.  John  Jay  writes  to 
his  mother  of  stopping  up  the  broken  panes  of 
glass  with  billets  of  wood  to  keep  out  the  cold. 
But  here  young  Schuyler,  notwithstanding 
repeated  attacks  of  his  hereditary  gout,  devel- 
oped his  taste  for  mathematics,  and  acquired 
that  proficiency  in  French  which  was  of 
such  service  in  the  French  and  Indian  war, 
and  in  his  intercourse  with  the  foreign  officers 
in  the  Revolution. 

The  education  of  girls  was  by  no  means 
so  easily  achieved.  This  was  not  more  due 
to  lack  of  opportunity  than  to  the  indifference 
of  the  Dutch  colonists  to  the  education  of 
their  womenkind.  Schoolmasters  were  among 
other  importations  from  Holland,  pious  men, 

9 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


suitable  also  for  “ comforters  to  the  sick,” 
which  was  part  of  their  duty.  “ Girls  learned 
needlework  (in  which  they  were  indeed  both 
skillful  and  ingenious)  from  their  mothers 
and  aunts  ; they  were  taught  too  at  that  period 
to  read,  in  Dutch,  the  Bible,  and  a few  Calvin- 
istic  tracts  of  the  devotional  kind.  But  in  the 
infancy  of  the  settlement  few  girls  read 
English ; when  they  did  they  were  thought 
accomplished  ; they  generally  spoke  it  however, 
however  imperfectly,  and  few  were  taught 
writing.”  William  Smith,  the  historian  of 
New  York,  writing  in  1756,  adds  further : 
“ There  is  nothing  they  so  generally  neglect  as 
Beading  and  all  the  Arts  for  the  improvement 
of  the  Mind,  in  which,  I confess  we  have  set 
them  the  Example.”  The  first  commission  to 
teach  English  was  given  to  one  John  Schutte, 
whose  name  is  suspiciously  not  English,  before 
1700.  After  the  conquest  of  the  Province  by 
the  English,  the  Dutch  guarded  even  more 
tenaciously  their  customs  and  their  speech. 
So  late  as  1798  in  one  of  the  Yan  Rensselaer 
wills  it  is  stated  that  the  deceased  left  “ six 
zoons  and  three  doeghters.”  Long  after  the 
Revolution,  moreover,  “ Yah  Mynheer  ” and 
“ Yah  vrow  ” were  constantly  heard  in  Albany 
households. 

The  difference  between  the  English  and 
10 


COURTSHIP  AT  ALBANY 


Dutch  settlements  is  not  more  emphasized  than 
in  the  status  of  the  women.  The  Colonial 
women  of  New  England  and  the  South  were 
inveterate  letter  writers  and  diarists.  The 
descendants  of  the  Dutch  were  estimable 
mothers  and  wives,  but  neither  pen-women  nor 
talkers.  It  is  doubtless  due  to  this  that  the 
dulness  of  Albany  society  has  so  impressed 
foreign  travellers  of  the  time.  “ The  few  I got 
acquainted  with  looked  extremely  dull  and 
melancholy.  They  live  retired  in  their  homes 
with  their  wives,  who  are  sometimes  pretty  but 
rather  awkward  in  their  manners,  and  with 
whom  they  scarcely  exchange  thirty  words  a 
day,  although  they  always  address  them 
as  ‘ my  love,’  ” comments  de  Rochefoucauld- 
Liancourt. 

The  social  position  of  Catherine  Yan 
Rensselaer  brought  her  within  the  Court  circle 
and  the  gay  society  inspired  by  the  presence  of 
English  officers  stationed  at  Fort  Orange.  The 
intermarrying  of  Schuylers,  Yan  Cortlandts,  and 
Livingstons,  with  Yan  Rensselaers  had  estab- 
lished a numerous  relationship  at  New  York.  It 
was  the  custom  to  send  the  young  girls  of  the 
family  at  least  once  a year  to  visit  their  rela- 
tives and  acquire  the  polish  of  fashionable 
society  by  appearing  at  the  little  Court  which 
moved  about  the  presence  of  the  Royal 
11 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


Governor.  A number  of  Huguenot  families  in 
New  York  contributed  to  this  end.  While 
girls  of  the  importance  of  Catherine  Van 
Rensselaer  might  not  be  educated  in  Eng- 
lish beyond  the  Horn  book  and  the  abil- 
ity to  keep  household  accounts,  they  spoke 
perfectly  not  only  English  but  French,  from 
which  amiable  nation  they  not  only  acquired 
dancing  but  deportment.  There  were  peri- 
patetic Frenchmen  who  went  to  Albany,  fine 
gentlemen,  polished  in  manner,  poor  in  purse, 
who  taught  in  private  families  the  daughters 
of  the  well-to-do  burghers  their  little  stock 
of  accomplishments,  for  with  the  continual 
presence  of  a garrison,  the  occasional  visit  of 
the  commanding  general  and  the  Colonial 
Governor,  often  accompanied  by  his  family, 
there  were  opportunities  for  the  display  of  social 
gifts  at  Albany  only  second  to  New  York. 
That  Catherine  Schuyler  had  more  substan- 
tial equipment  than  this,  we  are  assured  by  her 
daughters,  who  tell  of  lessons  said  at  her  side 
while  she  cut  out  clothing  to  be  sewed  up  for 
the  slaves,  and  gave  out  household  orders. 

It  was  to  these  matters,  however,  — the  dairy, 
the  knitting,  the  cutting,  the  overseeing  of 
gathering  in  and  preserving  the  fruits,  — the 
girl  invariably  returned.  With  our  more  re- 
stricted idea  of  education  and  the  specialization 
12 


COURTSHIP  AT  ALBANY 


of  pursuits,  we  can  scarcely  realize  how  these 
many-sicled  interests  contributed  to  the  race 
of  men  and  women  who  brought  about  the  inde- 
pendence of  the  country.  During  the  period 
which  Catherine  Schuyler  represents,  life 
itself  was  a continual  emergency  to  be  met 
not  only  by  calmness  and  fortitude,  but  by 
capability,  by  being  equal  to  the  demands  of 
the  moment.  This  might  be  a call  for  bread 
for  a billet  of  soldiers,  the  entertainment  of 
a Colonial  dignitary  or  a foreign  nobleman, 
defence  against  an  attack  by  Indians,  the  ap- 
proach of  a hostile  army ; now  contriving  the 
safety  of  a friend,  now  offering  hospitality  to 
an  enemy ; quickwitted  as  Mrs.  Robert  Murray 
was,  joking  over  cakes  and  wine  with  Governor 
Tryon  to  allow  the  American  army  to  escape ; 
braving  personal  danger  as  did  Catherine 
Schuyler  in  defence  of  her  home. 

An  event  which  in  our  more  prosaic  times 
would  distinguish  a life  was  then  but  one  of 
a series.  The  importance  of  to-day  effaced  the 
importance  of  yesterday.  But  an  heroic  occa- 
sion was  no  excuse  for  letting  the  kettle  boil 
over.  Such  was  the  discipline  of  the  times. 


13 


II 


A SOLDIER’S  WIFE 

The  hereditary  enmity  between  France  and 
England  concerned  no  one  more  nearly  than  a 
young  man  and  maid  in  Albany  in  the  year 
1755.  That  magnificent  drama  known  as 
“The  Seven  Years’  War”  was  now  to  be  un- 
folded. In  Europe  Maria  Theresa  was  making 
ready  for  her  last  heroic  effort  to  wrest  Silesia 
from  the  great  Frederic.  In  America  George 
II.  and  Louis  XY.  were  preparing  for  their 
last  contest  for  the  supremacy  in  Canada.  But 
war  had  two  meanings.  On  one  side  of  the 
water  it  was  the  organized  pastime  of  kings  ; 
on  the  other,  with  its  trackless  woods,  lonely 
streams,  cataracts,  rocky  defiles,  stealthy, 
naked,  painted  warriors,  and  ominous  war- 
whoop  announcing  the  unexpected  presence  of 
the  foe,  war  had  the  gloomy  picturesqueness  of 
a great  tragedy. 

“ Our  Northern  frontier  demands  your  most 
serious  attention,”  wrote  Governor  Golden  to 
the  Provincial  Assembly.  “ The  city  of  Albany 

14 


A SOLDIER’S  WIFE 


is  in  such  condition  as  draws  reproach  upon 
us  from  our  own  Indians,  at  the  same  time  it 
greatly  discourages  them.”  Mrs.  Livingston 
wrote  from  the  manor  below : “ We  are  in  con- 
stant terror  from  the  savages  sneaking  about 
the  grounds  of  the  manor.”  The  same  story 
came  from  all  the  out-lying  districts.  Mothers 
yet  shuddered  at  the  tragedy  of  Maria  Keith  a 
few  years  before.  Living  eighteen  miles  above 
Albany,  with  the  neighborliness  of  those  days, 
she  was  one  of  the  belles  of  the  town. 

At  fifteen  she  married  her  cousin  and  went 
to  live  at  Dutch  Hoosic.  One  morning  their 
house  was  visited  by  a band  of  Indians.  They 
were  entertained  at  breakfast,  and  their  leader 
in  token  of  friendliness  gave  Mrs.  Keith  a belt 
of  wampum,  exclaiming  in  the  exalted  language 
of  the  red  man,  “ I will  trample  down  the  briars 
around  your  house  lest  you  hurt  your  feet.” 
Shortly  after,  Mr.  Keith  went  to  the  wood  with 
his  brother,  who  was  shot  from  behind  a tree. 
He  fled  to  the  house,  but  still  believing  in  the 
good  will  of  the  Indians  toward  his  family, 
left  the  women  while  he  went  for  wagons  to 
take  them  for  safety  to  Albany.  While  he 
was  gone  the  Indians  returned,  scalped  Mrs. 
Keith’s  sister-in-law,  and  ripping  her  open  took 
her  unborn  child  and  brandished  it  in  the  air. 
Mrs.  Keith  gathered  her  children  about  her, 

15 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


and  showing  the  belt  of  wampum  recalled  the 
promises  of  the  morning. 

“ You  shall  be  saved  to  dance  around  the 
council  fire  with  me  in  Canada,”  the  savage 
replied. 

They  then  set  fire  to  the  house.  Mrs.  Keith’s 
daughter  Anna,  a girl  of  twelve,  preferring 
death  to  capture,  broke  from  the  Indian  who 
was  carrying  her  away,  and  rushing  back  into 
the  flames  was  burned  to  death  before  her 
mother’s  eyes. 

The  same  tribe  of  Schagticoke  Indians  which 
committed  these  ravages  was  again  on  the  war 
path.  Dutch  Idoosic,  about  thirty  miles  from 
Albany,  was  burned,  and  the  half-naked, 
wretched  survivors  fled  to  Albany  for  help. 
The  militia  responded,  and  the  savages  with 
piercing  yells  retreated  to  the  woods,  where 
the  soldiers  could  not  follow  them. 

The  Commissioners  of  the  Colonies  were 
then  in  session  at  Albany.  It  was  a remark- 
able gathering  of  distinguished  men.  Chief 
among  them  was  Benjamin  Franklin,  who  then 
proposed  his  scheme  of  federation,  which  antici- 
pated the  compact  afterward  fulfilled,  that 
gave  birth  to  the  Nation.  The  call  for  a Coun- 
cil of  the  Six  Nations  was  tardily  fulfilled. 
Only  a handful  took  part  in  the  deliberations. 
Hendrick  was  there,  the  great  chief  of  the 
16 


A SOLDIERS  WIFE 


Mohawks,  and  Sir  'William  Johnson.  The 
contrast  was  ominous  to  those  present  remem- 
bering the  great  council  of  a few  years  before, 
when  Sir  William,  painted  and  dressed  like  an 
Indian,  appeared  at  the  head  of  a great  train 
of  warriors,  marched  into  Albany  and  saluted 
the  Fort,  which  threw  open  its  sally-port,  and 
the  Indians,  entering,  feasted,  and  renewed 
their  friendly  covenant  with  the  whites. 

The  speech  of  Hendrick,  the  old  man  elo- 
quent, distinguished  the  occasion : “ It  is  your 
fault  brethren  that  we  are  not  strengthened  by 
conquest.  We  would  have  gone  and  taken 
Crown  Point,  but  you  hindered  us.  We  had 
concluded  to  go  and  take  it,  but  we  were  told 
that  it  was  too  late,  that  the  ice  would  not  bear 
us.  Instead  of  this  you  burned  your  own  fort 
at  Saratoga,  and  ran  away  from  it  which  was 
a shame  and  a scandal.  Look  around  your 
country  and  see : you  have  no  fortifications 
about  you  — no,  not  even  to  this  city.  It  is 
but  a step  from  Canada  hither,  and  the  French 
may  easily  come  and  turn  you  out  of  doors. 
You  are  desirous  that  we  open  our  mind  and 
hearts  to  you.  Look  at  the  French.  They  are 
men  ; they  are  fortifying  everywhere.  But  — 
we  are  ashamed  to  say  it  — you  are  like  women ; 
bare  and  open  without  any  fortifications.” 

While  they  talked  the  news  had  come  of 
2 17 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


the  defeat  of  young  Colonel  Washington  at 
Fort  Duquesne.  The  scalping  knife  was  un- 
sheathed from  the  Monongahela  to  the  St. 
Lawrence. 

In  the  midst  of  these  alarms,  under  the 
shadow  of  these  grave  dangers,  a young  man 
arrives  at  his  majority,  and  a young  woman  is 
preparing  her  wedding  clothes.  Philip  Schuy- 
ler, that  easy-going  good-humored  young  man, 
so  inattentive  to  those  instructive  conversations 
that  distinguished  life  at  The  Flatts,  of  which 
Mrs.  Grant  of  Laggan  writes,  is  now  the  head 
of  the  family.  With  great  nobility  of  mind 
and  an  unusual  sense  of  justice,  although  the 
laws  of  primogeniture  were  in  force,  he  divided 
the  estate  to  which  he  now  fell  heir  equally 
between  his  brother  and  sisters.  With  these 
and  his  mother  he  lived  in  the  house  in  which 
he  was  born.  It  was  a Dutch  gabled  house, 
built  of  brick  from  Holland,  and  stood  a half- 
mile  from  the  stockade  in  a pasture  which  is 
now  the  busy  site  of  State  and  Pearl  Streets, 
and  gave  its  name  to  the  young  heir,  Philip  of 
the  Pasture. 

The  responsibilities  of  life  were  gathering 
quickly  about  him.  He  was  soon  to  marry. 
There  was  a call  to  arms  in  defence  of  the 
frontier.  The  young  men  of  the  Colony  were 
exhorted  to  patriotism.  Philip  Schuyler  was 
18 


A SOLDIER’S  WIFE 


the  first  to  respond.  To  him  Governer  DeLancy 
issued  the  first  commission.  One  hundred  of 
the  first  young  men  of  the  district  enrolled 
under  him.  Ann  Shirley,  daughter  of  the  Colo- 
nial Governor,  writes  lamenting  that  not  a 
beau  will  be  left.  Ann  herself  is  about  to  be 
married.  We  may  imagine  that  Catherine 
Van  Rensselaer  shared  her  feelings,  but  with 
that  composure  that  distinguished  the  Dutch 
girl  from  her  lively  English  contemporaries. 

The  departure  of  the  troops  drew  near.  At 
length,  on  the  eighth  of  August,  they  left  Albany 
for  Fort  Edward,  commanded  by  Sir  William 
Johnson,  whose  title,  though  eminently  near, 
had  not  yet  descended,  and  among  them  the 
company  of  Captain  Philip  Schuyler.  A youth 
who  had  followed  the  trail,  visited  in  the  Indian 
camps  of  the  frontier,  and  rallied  to  midnight 
alarms  from  the  savages,  was  not  new  to  the 
dangers  of  the  forest,  the  privations  of  the 
camp,  or  the  fatigues  of  the  march.  But  this 
was  war.  They  were  to  meet  the  trained  army 
of  the  most  warlike  nation  of  Europe,  en- 
trenched and  on  its  own  ground.  There  were 
many  jealousies  between  the  Provincial  and  the 
Royal  troops.  The  young  men  of  the  Colonies 
with  their  homely  customs,  simpler  manners, 
had  retreated  before  the  gay  young  officers  of 
the  King,  whose  glittering  gold  and  red  and 

19 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


dashing  manners  had  challenged  their  more 
modest  dress  and  demeanor  in  the  official 
society  at  Albany.  It  was  to  be  seen  whether 
they  would  suffer  equally  in  the  competition 
of  the  field  of  war.  The  officers  treated  the 
Americans  with  contempt.  “ The  ministry 
were  determined  to  employ  their  own  troops 
to  fight  their  battles  in  America  rather  than 
let  the  colonists  feel  their  own  strength.”  On 
the  other  hand  Abercrombie  writes  to  Gates: 
“ the  provincials  are  averse  to  junction  with 
the  king’s  troops  ....  but  have  regulars  at 
hand  to  secure  the  fools  in  case  he  should  be 
repulsed.” 

The  fools  were  going  to  fight  this  battle. 
All  these  influences  conspired  to  make  the 
expedition  to  Lake  George  a proud  and  anxious 
moment  to  the  young  Captain  and  the  girl 
he  was  going  to  marry.  The  fight  took  place 
on  the  seventh  of  September.  It  was  a mem- 
orable battle  for  several  reasons.  Sir  Wil- 
liam Johnson  wished  to  divide  his  forces.  Old 
Hendrick,  the  Mohawk  chief,  putting  three 
sticks  together,  said,  “Unite  them  you  cannot 
break  them.”  Then  taking  them  one  by  one 
he  broke  them  and  cast  them  on  the  ground. 
The  greatest  of  Indian  warriors,  practically  in 
command,  Hendrick  fell  at  the  first  fire.  Soon 
after,  Colonel  Ephraim  Williams  fell  mortally 
20 


A SOLDIER’S  WIFE 


wounded,  leaving  his  fortune  to  found  Williams 
College,  which  bears  his  name.  Sir  William 
Johnson  was  wounded  several  times,  earning 
his  title.  But  the  French  were  routed,  and 
Baron  Dieskau,  the  commander  of  the  French 
forces,  was  taken  prisoner. 

Several  days  after  it  was  the  pleasing  duty  of 
Captain  Schuyler,  whose  knowledge  of  the 
French  language  had  made  him  useful  in  the 
matter,  to  be  detailed  to  arrange  for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  French  prisoners  at  Albany.  It 
may  be  imagined  what  a home-coming  this 
was  to  be  to  the  ardent  mind  of  a young  man. 
He  was  to  bear  in  his  person  the  honors  of  a 
successful  campaign.  War  has  its  glories 
even  in  defeat;  but  this  was  victory.  The 
despised  Provincials  had  overcome  the  accom- 
plished and  dreaded  Frenchmen.  The  battle 
of  Lake  George  gave  to  the  Americans  the  first 
sense  of  their  own  power,  and  of  it  was  born 
the  later  and  greater  victory  that  ended  in 
independence.  Of  the  reception  of  the  young 
soldier  at  Albany  there  is  no  record,  but  the 
marriage  of  Philip  Schuyler  and  “ sweet  Kitty 
V.  R.”  took  place  on  the  seventeenth  of  Sep- 
tember, nine  days  after  the  battle  of  Lake 
George.  Such  a concourse  of  events  is  of  itself 
eloquent.  There  are  supreme  moments  in  life. 
A young  man  who  comes  to  his  bridal  bringing 
21 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


the  honors  of  war,  and  with  a captive  general 
in  his  train,  and  the  young  creature  who  is 
awaiting  him,  may  surely  be  said  to  have 
tasted  these. 

At  this  time  Philip  Schuyler  is  described  as 
a fine,  well-developed  person  with  perfect  com- 
mand of  his  temper,  prompt  and  accurate  in 
his  affairs,  but  easily  relapsing  into  that  com- 
radeship “ which  is  the  privilege  of  easy  disen- 
cumbered minds.”  Catherine  Van  Rensselaer, 
according  to  the  unfriendly  testimony  of  a Tory 
historian,  was  “ a lady  of  great  beauty,  shape 
and  gentility.”  This  is  confirmed  by  Lossing 
with  enthusiastic  detail.  “ She  was  delicate 
but  perfect  in  form  and  feature  ; of  medium 
height,  extremely  graceful  in  her  movements 
and  winning  in  her  deportment ; well  educated 
in  comparison  with  others,  of  sprightly  tem- 
perament, possessed  of  great  firmness  and 
will,  and  was  very  frugal,  industrious  and 
methodical.” 

The  marriage  of  two  young  people  of  such 
importance  in  a community,  in  which  all  roads 
led  to  marriage,  was  inevitably  an  event.  The 
preparations  for  a wedding  in  a Dutch  com- 
munity were  deliberate  and  thorough.  The 
trousseau  was  confided  to  the  tailoress,  as- 
sisted by  the  mantua  maker,  who  got  up  the 
outside  garments  and  the  millinery.  This 
22 


A SOLDIER'S  WIFE 


work  was  conducted  at  the  home  of  the  bride, 
and  the  members  of  the  family  took  part. 
The  pattern  and  materials  were  imported  from 
Eng-land  and  Holland. 

The  reigning  modes  were  transmitted  through 
dolls  sent  over  to  the  Colonies  instead  of  fashion 
plates.  A glimpse  of  the  styles  may  be  found 
in  the  facetious  correspondence  of  the  day. 
There  is  something  very  modern  in  the  spirit 
of  such  extracts  as  these : “ The  petticoats 
which  began  to  heave  and  swell  before  you 
left  are  now  blown  up  into  an  enormous  con- 
cave, and  rise  more  and  more  every  day. 
These  foreign  invaders  made  their  first  attack 
upon  the  stays,  so  as  to  diminish  them  down 
to  the  waist,  exposing  the  breast  and  shoulders. 
Next  to  the  caps,  cutting  off  the  lappets  and 
tabs,  bored  and  padlocked  the  ears.  Next 
came  the  hoops  and  Frenchpocket  holes,  and 
last  of  all  have  shortened  the  rear  so  that  the 
ankles  and  heels  are  exposed  to  the  very  calves 
and  clocks.”  Such  were  the  English  influ- 
ences over  these  staid  days  when  the  Rev. 
Everardus  Bogardus  sued  for  slander  a certain 
Hendrick  Janse  because  he  appeared  before 
the  Secretary  of  the  Colony  and  certified  that 
the  wife  of  the  Rev.  Everardus  Bogardus  drew 
up  her  petticoat  a “ little  way.” 

The  women  wore  striped  skirts,  short  gowns, 

23 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


bordered  caps,  and  ribbed  stockings  with  low 
shoes  having  silver  buckles.  The  buckles  it 
was  customary  for  the  lover  to  give  after  be- 
ing accepted,  as  the  engagement  ring  is  now 
given.  In  the  portrait  of  Mrs.  Schuyler  the 
bodice  shows  something  of  those  innovations 
that  the  “ foreign  invader  ” complained  of  has 
introduced.  The  new  corset  has  raised  the 
bust  and  narrowed  the  substantial  Dutch  waists. 
The  plastron  of  the  body  suggests  the  tablier 
of  the  “ tufted  skirt,”  desired  by  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton, from  London.  Over  this,  lifted  on  the 
hips,  as  with  the  Dolly  Vardens  of  later  days, 
spread  the  lustrous  brocades  and  lutestrings. 
English  fashions  doubtless  prevailed  in  Cathe- 
rine Van  Rensselaer’s  trousseau,  considering 
her  intimacy  with  the  Governor’s  circle  and 
her  frequent  visits  to  New  York. 

Scarcely  less  important  than  the  wedding 
dress  was  that  to  be  worn  at  church  the  Sunday 
after  the  wedding.  The  reason  appears  in  a 
letter  written  by  the  fashionable  Ann  Shirley 
after  her  own  marriage.  “ Last  Sunday  I 
attended  Miss  Shirley  (that  was)  to  church, 
and  accordingly  there  were  a great  many  peo- 
ple there  to  look  at  the  bride.  Her  dress  was 
a yellow  lute  string  trimmed  with  silver  lace 
with  one  flounce  which  was  esteemed  by  every 
body  to  be  very  genteel,  and  I was  not  a little 

24 


A SOLDIER’S  WIFE 


pleased  with  it  as  it  was  in  a measure  my 
taste.”  Dutch  girls  did  not  have  many  frocks. 
Three  were  thought  to  be  a sufficient  number, 
and  the  best  was  carefully  kept  for  company. 
But  a young  woman  of  Catherine  Van  Rensse- 
laer’s social  importance  would  doubtless  have 
an  allowance  of  “ sattin  tabbys,”  and  puckered 
petticoats  befitting  her  position.  The  hair 
at  this  time  was  tufted,  crimped,  and  powdered, 
the  hair  dresser  an  important  person.  The 
hair  sleek  with  pomatum  banded  beneath  the 
cap  was  worn  by  the  Dutch  matrons,  but  on  the 
heads  of  the  young  and  fashionable  were  reared 
the  “ Ladies  Tatematongues  and  Towers  after 
the  manner  worn  at  Court,”  which  the  barbers 
of  the  day  include  among  their  announcements 
of  wigs  and  bob-perukes. 

When  the  wedding  day  approached  the  banns 
were  called  three  times  in  church.  After  the 
first  time  a dance  was  usually  given  to  the 
young  people,  and  as  soon  as  the  newspaper 
appeared  betrothals  were  freely  commented  on. 
“A  lady  of  great  merit  with  every  accomplish- 
ment to  render  the  connubial  state  happy,” 
appended  to  such  an  announcement  in  the  first 
Albany  journal  published,  reads  like  modern 
journalism,  except  for  its  more  pretentious 
form.  Marriages  were  never  celebrated  in 
church.  The  invitations  were  written,  but 


25 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


without  formality.  Thus  writes  the  old 
burgher  Jelles  Fonda: 

Sir,  — I should  be  Glad  of  your  Company  as 
also  that  of  Mrs  Sanders,  your  Brother  and  Sister 
Pedgee  to  see  my  Daughter  Pedgee  married  next 
Tuesday  at  12  o’clock. 

I am  your  sincire  Friend  and  Humble  Sev. 

Jelles  Fonda. 

Although  a few  years  later,  so  quickly  polite 
forms  are  assimilated,  we  find  Miss  Maria 
Gansvoort  requesting  the  company  of  Miss 
Van  Rensselaer  in  a truly  elegant  manner  to 
see  her  married. 

“ They  seldom  admitted  strangers  to  their 
marriages,  but  the  day  after  the  groom  gave  a 
cold  collation  to  which  any  of  his  friends  could 
come  without  an  invitation.  They  had  punch, 
wine,  and  appointed  a Dictator,  and  it  was  a 
disgusting  feast.”  This  is  the  unfriendly  de- 
scription by  a traveller  of  the  custom  of  keeping 
open  house  by  the  groom’s  father,  while  the 
bride’s  mother  at  the  same  time  received  the 
congratulations  of  her  friends.  At  a period 
when  rum  and  Madeira  mellowed  every  occa- 
sion from  a church-raising  to  a funeral,  and 
humor  was  none  too  delicate,  such  excesses  may 
have  occurred.  But  “ one  guardian  genius 
watched  over  the  community  with  unremitting 
diligence  ” in  these  as  in  all  other  matters. 

26 


A SOLDIER’S  WIFE 


The  Dutch  Reformed  Church  of  Albany  was 
the  nursery  of  liberty,  the  promoter  of  educa- 
tion, the  guardian  of  society  and  the  home. 
Quaint  woodcuts  of  its  exterior  and  interior 
have  come  down  from  the  earliest  times.  It 
contained  a pulpit  and  canopy  which  cost 
twenty-five  beaver  skins  in  Holland,  — beaver 
skins  being  the  gold  of  the  Colony,  wampum 
the  silver.  A beaver  skin  was  estimated  at 
two  guilders.  There  were  seats  for  the  deacons 
and  magistrates  and  nine  pews  for  the  congre- 
gation. In  time  a gallery  was  added.  This 
with  the  ceiling  was  painted  sky  blue.  Addi- 
tional adornment  was  made  in  the  coats-of- 
arms  of  the  Van  Rensselaers,  Scliuylers,  Living- 
stons, and  Van  Cortlandts,  and  other  prominent 
families  placed  in  the  windows.  The  women 
sat  in  the  gallery  while  the  men  sat  below  and 
smoked  during  the  sermon.  The  women  went 
to  church  attended  by  slaves  bearing  foot- 
stoves.  These  were  replenished  as  often  as 
necessary  from  the  great  stove  below.  Cathe- 
rine Van  Rensselaer  occupied  as  a girl  pew  35. 
It  was  the  custom  for  these  sittings  to  descend 
from  mother  to  the  eldest  daughter,  while  the 
eldest  son  inherited  the  seat  of  his  father. 
Later  it  is  recorded  that  “ the  following  women 
folk  took  seats  in  the  first  pew  opposite  to  that 
of  the  elders,  aggreeing  to  relinquish  it  four 
27 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


times  a year  on  the  occasion  of  celebrating 
the  Lord’s  Supper.  Gertrude  Yan  Rensselaer, 
Catherine  Schuyler,  Margarieta  Livingston, 
Maria  Lansingh,  Nellie  Schuyler,  Gertrude 
Bleeker.”  The  Patrooness  had  four  sittings 
allotted  to  her. 

It  is  doubtful  whether  the  congregation  had 
an  opportunity  to  enjoy  the  wedding  finery  of 
Philip  and  Catherine  Schuyler.  Amiable 
couples,  it  was  said,  used  to  come  late  to  church 
that  the  congregation  might  see  their  finery. 
In  the  “History  of  Westchester  County”  Mrs. 
Vanderbilt  describes  a bride  who  wore  a fawn- 
colored  silk  over  a light  blue  damask  petticoat, 
while  the  groom  wore  a waistcoat  made  of  the 
•same  light  blue  damask.  In  the  Long  Island 
Historical  Society  Collection  is  a manuscript 
commonplace  book  which  tells  of  one  groom  who 
appeared  on  the  first  Sunday  after  his  marriage 
in  white  broadcloth  ; on  the  second  in  blue  and 
gold  ; on  the  third  in  peach  blow  with  pearl 
buttons.  But  military  orders  did  not  comport 
with  such  display.  There  were  graver  matters 
stirring.  The  groom  was  off  and  to  the  wars 
again,  and  the  bride  had  new  duties  now 
waiting. 


28 


m 


THE  YOUNG  MISTRESS 

A 'week  is  a brief  honeymoon.  Only  this  space 
was  allotted  to  an  event  that  among  the  Dutch 
involved  elaborate  festivities  and  the  celebra- 
tion of  many  time-honored  customs.  It  was 
necessary  for  Captain  Schuyler  to  hurry  back 
to  Lake  George  to  take  charge  of  the  transpor- 
tation of  the  troops.  The  bride  went  to  her 
new  home.  Philip  Schuyler,  having  renounced 
his  rights  as  the  oldest  son,  lived  with  his 
mother,  brothers,  and  widowed  sister  Gertrude 
and  her  daughter  in  the  ancestral  home.  His 
mother,  Cornelia  Van  Cortlandt,  was  a daugh- 
ter of  one  of  the  aristocratic  Dutch  families  of 
the  Province,  and  possessed  in  her  own  right 
a large  inherited  estate.  She  was  a woman 
of  great  force  of  character,  and  had  carefully 
trained  her  son  with  reference  to  his  duties  as  a 
landed  proprietor  and  as  the  head  of  the  family. 
She  was  herself  a woman  of  affairs.  The  State 
records  show  that  after  the  death  of  her  hus- 
band she  took  out  a patent  for  thirteen  hundred 
29 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


acres  of  land.  This  in  her  will,  dated  five 
years  after  the  marriage  of  her  son,  she  be- 
queaths equally  to  Philip  and  Stephen,  her  sons, 
leaving  to  her  daughter  Gertrude  houses  and 
lots  on  Queen  Street,  New  York,  and  to  her 
youngest  son,  Cortlandt,  £1800  in  money,  with 
a residue  to  be  equally  shared. 

Blit  the  young  bride  had  not  only  the  influ- 
ence and  example  of  so  accomplished  a mother- 
in-law,  but  of  that  other  matron,  the  arbiter  of 
elegance  and  morals  in  Albany,  Madame  Schuy- 
ler. Of  her  she  saw  much,  since  Philip  Schuyler 
was  a nephew  in  whose  welfare  the  older  lady  had 
concerned  herself,  and  subsequently  was  one  of 
her  heirs.  Catherine  Schuyler  has  left  behind 
her  a well-founded  impression  of  sweetness  of 
temper  and  mental  composure.  One  may  fancy 
a young  impressionable  woman  surrounded  by 
two  such  striking  individualities  as  this  mother 
and  aunt.  Though  the  ensign  of  the  Comman- 
der of  the  Royal  Arms  floated  from  Fort  Orange, 
and  though  the  Governor  of  the  Province  be  in 
residence,  Aunt  Schuyler,  as  the  distinguished 
mistress  of  The  Flatts  was  called,  was  still  the 
reigning  power.  Even  her  sister,  Mrs.  Cuyler, 
the  wife  of  the  mayor,  first  gained  her  consent 
before  deciding  who  of  the  officers  of  the  King 
or  of  the  gay  young  commissaries  should  be 
admitted  to  municipal  society. 

30 


THE  YOUNG  MISTRESS 


Albany  was  then  a semi-rural  village,  each 
house  surrounded  by  grounds,  in  front  of  each 
house  a portico,  or  in  the  vernacular,  a “ stoop,” 
where  in  the  cool  of  the  evening  the  inhabitants 
gathered.  That  of  Aunt  Schuyler  took  the 
form  of  a levee.  “ Aunt  Schuyler  is  out  ” 
passed  from  door  to  door  when  that  lady  ap- 
peared. Then  a succession  of  visitors  passed 
in  review,  each  too  considerate  to  encroach  at 
any  other  time  upon  the  attention  of  so  impor- 
tant a person,  but  each  eager  to  exchange  a 
word  with  her.  While  Madame  Schuyler  was 
receiving  the  tribute  of  the  dignitaries  of  the 
town  and  of  her  neighbors,  the  younger  mem- 
bers of  her  family  sat  humbly  on  the  lower 
steps  and  looked  and  listened. 

She  had  no  children  of  her  own,  but  always 
had  with  her  some  of  the  young  people  of  the 
large  circle  of  her  relations  in  preparation  for 
their  future  duties  in  life.  The  position  was 
no  sinecure. 

“No  one  better  understood  nor  more  fully  appre- 
ciated the  duties  of  housekeeping,”  writes  her 
biographer.  “Thus  young  females  who  had  the 
happiness  of  being  bred  under  her  auspices,  very 
soon  became  qualified  to  assist  her  instead  of  en- 
croaching much  upon  her  time.  The  example  and 
conversation  of  the  family  in  which  they  lived  was 
to  them  a perpetual  school  for  useful  knowledge, 
31 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


and  manners  easy  and  dignified,  though  natural 
and  artless.” 

It  is  pardonable  to  continue  this  description 
of  a household  which  was  the  model,  and  which 
must  have  been  the  despair,  of  all  the  young 
matrons  of  the  town,  as  it  sets  forth  in  so  in- 
teresting a manner  the  domestic  life  of  the  time 
under  its  happiest  conditions  : — 

“Aunt  was  a great  manager  of  her  time,  and 
always  contrived  to  create  leisure  hours  for  read- 
ing; for  that  kind  of  conversation  which  is  properly 
styled  gossip  she  had  the  utmost  contempt.  Light 
superficial  reading,  such  as  merely  fills  a blank  in 
time  was  little  known  there;  for  few  books  crossed 
the  Atlantic,  but  such  as  were  worth  carrying  for 
their  intrinsic  worth.  . . . She  was  too  much  ac- 
customed to  have  her  mind  occupied  with  objects 
of  real  worth  and  importance  to  give  it  up  to  frivol- 
ous pursuits  of  any  kind.  She  began  the  morning 
with  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures.  They  always 
breakfasted  early  and  dined  two  hours  later  than 
the  primitive  inhabitants  who  took  that  meal  at 
twelve.  This  departure  from  ancient  customs  was 
necessary  in  the  family  in  order  to  accommodate 
the  great  number  of  British  as  well  as  strangers 
who  were  daily  entertained  at  her  liberal  table. 
This  arrangement  gave  her  a longer  forenoon  to 
dispose  of.  After  breakfast  she  gave  orders  for 
the  family  details  of  the  day,  which  without 
32 


THE  YOUNG  MISTRESS 


scrupulous  attention  which  fell  more  properly  under 
the  notice  of  these  young  friends,  she  always  regu- 
lated in  the  most  judicious  manner,  so  as  to  prevent 
all  appearance  of  1 lurry  and  confusion.” 

“There  was  much  rivalry  among  domestics  whose 
sole  ambition  was  her  favor;  and  who  had  been 
trained  up  from  infancy,  each  to  their  several  duties, 
so  that  excellence  in  each  department  was  the  re- 
sult both  of  habit  and  emulation;  while  her  young 
protegees  were  early  taught  the  value  and  impor- 
tance of  good  housewifery,  and  were  sedulous  to 
little  matters  of  decoration  and  elegance  which 
her  mind  was  too  engrossed  to  attend  to;  so  that 
her  household  affairs,  ever  well  regulated,  went  on 
in  a kind  of  mechanical  progress,  that  seemed  to 
engage  little  of  her  attention,  though  her  vigilant 
and  overruling  mind  set  every  spring  in  motion. 
Having  thus  easily  and  speedily  arranged  the 
details  of  the  day  she  retired  to  read  in  her  own 
closet,  where  she  generally  remained  till  about 
eleven ; when  being  unable  to  distant  walks,  the 
colonel  and  she,  and  some  of  her  elder  guests  passed 
some  of  the  hotter  hours  among  those  embowering 
shades  of  the  garden,  in  which  she  took  great  pleas- 
ure. Here  was  their  Lyceum;  here  questions  of 
morality  and  religion  too  weighty  for  table  talk 
were  leisurely  and  coolly  discussed;  and  plans  of 
policy  and  various  utility  arranged.  From  this 
retreat  they  adjourned  to  the  portico;  and  while 
the  colonel  either  retired  to  write  or  went  to  give 
directions  to  his  servants,  she  sat  in  this  little 
33 


3 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


tribunal,  giving  audience  to  new  settlers,  follow- 
ers of  the  army  left  in  hapless  dependence,  and 
others  who  wanted  assistance  and  advice,  or  hoped 
she  would  intercede  with  the  colonel  for  something 
more  peculiarly  in  his  way,  he  having  great  in- 
fluence with  the  Colonial  government.” 

Dinner,  as  was  observed,  was  at  two,  and 
usually  assembled  a large  party,  some  being 
friends  and  relations,  others  strangers,  friend- 
less travellers,  on  the  score  of  hospitality,  who 
if  they  proved  valuable  acquisitions  were  invited 
to  remain  as  guests,  and  lastly  the  military,  of 
which  there  were  always  some  in  garrison,  and 
were  chosen,  we  are  assured,  with  “ some  dis- 
crimination on  account  of  her  young  friends 
whom  they  wished  not  only  to  protect,  but 
cultivate  by  improving  associations.”  In  the 
afternoon  there  was  another  set  of  guests, 
visitors  from  Albany  who  drove  out  to  take 
tea,  three  or  four  in  open  carriages.  Tea  was 
early,  and  accompanied  by  the  pasties  and  pre- 
serves which  the  Dutch  housekeepers  were  so 
skilled  in  making.  These  guests  fell  to  the 
younger  members  to  entertain.  Their  diver- 
sions took  the  form  of  rambles  or  boating,  a 
visit  to  the  beautiful  wooded  island  in  the  river 
opposite,  while  Madame  remained  on  her  portico 
“ engaged  in  what  might  be  called  light  read- 
ing, essays,  biography,  poetry,”  till  the  younger 
34 


THE  YOUNG  MISTRESS 


party  returned  and  with  her  shared  another 
light  repast  on  the  portico  or  within. 

To  live  up  to  so  perfect  an  esaxnplar  was 
indeed  a difficult  task  for  the  young  bride. 
But  the  first  act  recorded  of  Catherine  Schuy- 
ler in  her  new  estate  is  of  this  gracious  charac- 
ter. The  wounded  Baron  Dieskau  was  brought 
to  Albany  by  batteau  and  litter  during  the 
week  of  the  wedding  festivities.  The  Baron 
was  a charming  companion,  and  Philip  Schuyler 
had  grown  intimate  with  him  in  their  enforced 
companionship.  Before  leaving  Albany  to 
rejoin  Sir  William  Johnson  at  Lake  George  he 
commended  the  wounded  French  general  to 
the  attention  of  his  mother  and  wife.  Shortly 
after,  in  a lively  letter  to  Captain  Schuyler 
from  Bernier,  the  aide-de-camp  of  Dieskau, 
he  says : — 

“One  can  add  nothing  to  the  politeness  of 
Madame,  your  mother  and  Madame,  your  wife. 
Every  day  there  comes  from  them  to  the  Baron 
fruits  and  other  rare  sweets,  which  are  of  great 
service  to  him.  He  orders  me  on  this  subject  to 
express  to  you  all  that  he  owes  to  the  attentions 
of  these  ladies.  If  it  was  permitted  me  to  go  out 
I should  have  already  been  often  to  present  to 
them  his  respects  and  mine.” 

The  demands  of  the  time  grew  rather  than 
diminished.  The  succeeding  years  enlarged 

35 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


the  duties  of  the  women  of  the  frontier  towns 
and  restricted  their  supplies.  The  differences 
in  the  development  of  the  Dutch  women  and 
those  of  New  England  and  the  South  were  not 
purely  racial.  There  was  less  time  for  that 
instructive  reading  that  beguiled  Aunt  Schuy- 
ler’s leisure.  There  were  no  hotels,  and  the 
hospitalities  of  the  great  houses  had  to  be 
extended  to  a larger  number  of  guests,  as  the 
war  clouds  thickened.  Meanwhile  the  min- 
istrations to  the  poor  and  unfortunate  in- 
creased. These  occurred  on  so  large  a scale 
that  an  observant  visitor  writes : — 

“ I know  the  utmost  they  could  derive  from 
their  lands,  and  it  was  not  much;  some  money 
they  had,  but  nothing  adequate  to  their  manner  of 
living,  and  the  very  large  family  they  drew  about 
them.  But  with  regard  to  the  plenty,  one  might 
almost  call  it  luxury  of  the  table,  it  was  supplied 
from  a variety  of  sources.  Indians  grateful  for 
numerous  benefits  were  constantly  bringing  the 
smaller  game  and  in  winter  and  spring  loads  of 
venison.” 

Visitors  from  New  York,  we  are  told,  would 
send  in  return  oysters  and  other  shell  fish,  be- 
sides tropical  fruits,  plenty  and  cheap  through 
the  constant  commerce  between  Jamaica  and 
New  York.  The  boys  never  went  out  without 

36 


TUB  YOUNG  MISTRESS 


their  guns  or  rods  and  never  came  home  empty- 
handed.  Presents  of  wine  were  almost  part 
of  the  etiquette  of  society.  There  was  little 
money,  but  the  kindly  exchange  of  gifts  pre- 
vailed, as  in  all  primitive  communities.  There 
was  plenty  of  china  and  plate,  portraits  of 
bewigged  gentlemen  and  much  beruffed  ladies, 
and  fine  old  pieces  of  tulip  wood  and  mahogany, 
to  give  dignity  and  even  elegance  to  the 
hospitalities  of  the  household.  There  was 
a retinue  of  servants  attached  to  each  of 
the  prominent  houses.  Slavery  preserved  in 
Albany  in  great  measure  its  patriarchal  form. 
In  the  Schuyler  household  the  slaves  all  de- 
scended from  two  old  women  brought  from 
Africa  when  they  were  young.  Mrs.  Grant 
gives  an  amusing  account  of  the  “ rivalries  in 
excellence  ” between  these  two  tribes.  “ Diana 
was  determined  that  in  no  inspect  of  excellence 
Maria’s  children  should  surpass  hers ; and 
Maria  was  equally  determined  that  Diana’s 
brood  should  not  surpass  hers.  If  Maria’s 
son  Prince  cut  down  wood  with  more  dex- 
terity and  despatch  than  any  one  in  the 
province,  the  mighty  Caesar,  son  of  Diana,  cut 
down  wheat  and  threshed  it  better  than  he. 
His  sister  Betty,  who  to  her  misfortune  was 
a beauty  of  her  kind,  and  possessed  wit  equal 
to  her  beauty,  was  the  best  seamstress  and 
37 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


laundress  I have  known,  and  plain  unpretend- 
ing Rachel,  sister  to  Prince,  wife  to  Tytus  alas 
Tyte,  and  head  cook,  dressed  dinners  that  might 
have  pleased  Apicius.” 

For  every  department  of  the  household  there 
was  a slave  allotted.  They  hoed,  drilled,  shod 
horses,  made  cider,  raised  hemp  and  tobacco, 
looked  after  the  horses  and  the  garden,  made 
and  mended  the  shoes,  spun,  wove,  made  nets, 
canoes,  attended  to  the  fishing,  carpentering, 
each  household  sufficient  unto  itself.  Slavery 
probably  never  took  a more  unobjectionable 
form.  The  negroes  were  treated  with  even 
familiarity ; each  was  allowed  his  own  garden, 
and  was  encouraged  to  raise  pets.  As  in  the 
South,  each  boy  had  his  boy,  and  each  girl  her 
maid  who  was  given  to  her  on  her  marriage. 
Here  they  lived,  and  multiplied  to  old  age,  no 
slave  being  sold  unless  he  proved  unmanageable 
or  to  be  a corrupt  influence ; and  in  this  case, 
the  threat  to  send  the  refractory  one  to 
Jamaica  or  the  Barbadoes  was  usually  suffi- 
cient. Later,  in  the  more  demoralizing  days 
following  the  Revolution,  there  were  negro 
troubles  at  Albany  similar  to  those  in  earlier 
times  in  New  York.  Such  a period  was  in  1793, 
when  the  “Bet  of  Philip  Yan  Schaick,  a hand- 
some wench,”  and  Dinah,  prompted  by  Pomp,  a 
favorite  Albany  negro,  carried  coals  in  a shoe 

38 


THE  YOUNG  MISTRESS 


and  occasioned  one  of  the  famous  fires  of 
Albany.  The  two  girls  were  tried,  sentenced, 
and  speedily  executed,  in  accordance  with  the 
summary  judgment  of  the  times.  Pomp,  from 
his  great  popularity,  had  a stay,  but  subse- 
quently suffered  the  same  fate.  Pinxter,  one 
of  the  three  Dutch  fetes  of  the  year,  belonged 
to  the  negroes.  It  was  observed  the  Monday 
following  Whitsunday,  and  generally  continued 
through  the  week.  There  was  a colored  harle- 
quin. For  many  years  this  was  personated 
by  a well-known  Guinea  negro  known  as  King 
Charley.  Dressed  in  a cast-off  coat  of  the 
military,  decked  out  with  colored  ribbons,  his 
legs  bare  and  a little  black  hat  with  a pompon 
on  one  side,  he  was  seated  on  a hollow  log, 
which  had  each  end  covered  with  skins  and 
served  as  a drum  for  dancing.  Other  negroes 
had  eel  pots  covered  with  skin  which  they 
beat  with  their  hands  while  they  sang  a song 
that  had  a refrain  “ Hi-a  bomba  bomba,” 
which  it  was  supposed  was  brought  over  from 
Africa.  To  this  music  the  negroes  danced. 
There  were  also  gingerbread  booths  and  side 
shows,  and  under  the  charge  of  the  elderly 
women  all  the  young  gentry  were  taken  out 
to  see  the  sights. 

The  administration  of  these  households  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  mistress,  whose  husband 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


was  about  the  affairs  of  the  Colony  civil  or  mili- 
tary, and  in  the  intervals  of  his  public  duties 
was  engaged  in  the  larger  matters  of  his  estate, 
or  matters  of  commerce  with  New  York  or 
the  sea  islands.  One  finds  no  evidence  of 
concern  among  the  men  about  matters  of 
the  feminine  toilet  in  Dutch  Colonial  papers. 
The  marriages  of  Washington  and  Philip 
Schuyler  occurred  about  the  same  time.  A 
thread  of  domesticity  runs  through  Washing- 
ton’s diary.  He  has  the  air  of  close  familiarity 
with  “ real  minnekin  pins  and  satin  tabbies,” 
orders  perfumed  powder  for  the  family,  and 
wrestles  with  the  spelling  of  “ jackeynot- 
muslin”  and  “corded  dimothy,”  doubtless 
taken  from  the  lips  of  Mrs.  Washington  seated 
by  his  side.  With  great  perspicuity  he  writes  to 
London  about  “Mrs.  Washington’s  green  sack, 
which  is  to  be  cleaned,  or  fresh  dyed  the  same 
color ; made  up  into  a handsome  sack  again ; or 
if  it  wont  afford  that  to  be  thrown  in  to  a genteel 
night  gown.”  Again,  he  is  distressed  about  a 
housekeeper  for  his  wife,  wages  no  consider- 
ation, to  spare  her  additional  weight.  Elias 
Boudinot  writes  to  his  wife  about  the  preserv- 
ing, and  remarks  that  the  “ Kitchen  gentry 
very  much  needs  a mistress,”  while  gently 
reproaching  her  for  not  writing  to  him. 

The  distribution  of  affairs  was  more  clearly 

40 


THE  YOUNG  MISTRESS 


established  in  the  Albany  households.  There 
is  no  record  that  Philip  Schuyler,  Abraham 
Ten  Broek,  or  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer  knew 
anything  of  real  minnekin  pins,  of  the  dif- 
ference between  Callimanco  and  Callimanca, 
of  Thickset  and  Jackeynot.  The  households 
were  administered  by  the  mistresses ; into 
their  hands  fell  the  rearing  of  the  children, 
their  education,  the  hospitalities,  and  the 
responsibility  of  the  dependents  both  of  the 
family  and  of  the  poor.  For  the  differences 
of  fortune  induced  by  the  manorial  privileges 
gave  a certain  feudal  aspect  to  the  community, 
and  its  responsibilities.  On  the  other  hand 
these  frugal,  industrious,  self-sufficient  house- 
wives, as  has  already  been  intimated,  were  not 
literary  women.  They  rarely  wrote  letters,  and 
there  are  Dutch  receipt  books  in  existence 
which  disclose  the  precarious  spelling  of  the 
writers.  The  only  poetess  they  can  claim  is 
the  unfortunate  Ann  Eliza  Bleeker,  born  a 
Schuyler,  the  quality  of  whose  verse  remains 
in  a slender  book  from  which  such  lines  of 
observant  detail  may  be  gleamed : 

“ Where  hid  the  elusive  watermelon  lie 
Sportive  make  incisions  in  the  rind, 

The  riper  from  the  immature  to  find. 

Then  load  their  tender  shoulders  with  the  prey 
And  laughing  bear  the  tender  fruit  away.” 


41 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


This  and  much  more,  describing  the  ramblings 
of  the  children  about  her  loved  Tomhannock. 

Such  gentle  dabbling  with  the  Muse  is  not  to 
be  compared  with  the  Odes  of  Annis  Stockton 
congratulating  the  Commander-in-Chief  on  his 
victories  nor  with  Mrs.  Mercy  Warren’s  pen, 
alike  vigorous  in  politics  and  poetry.  Nor 
is  there  among  them  a gossipy  penwoman  like 
Mrs.  Abigail  Adams.  The  distinguishing 
trait  of  the  women  of  the  Dutch  Province 
is  found  in  the  unobtrusive  manner  in  which 
they  performed  their  share  of  the  mutual 
contract.  To  it  frequently  in  the  emergencies 
of  the  time  were  added  the  larger  matters  of  the 
estate.  Several  women  in  the  Schuyler  family 
have  left  a record  of  their  successful  manage- 
ment of  affairs.  Margaret  Van  Sclilictenhorst, 
the  wife  of  the  progenitor  of  the  family,  took 
the  active  management  of  her  husband’s  es- 
tate after  his  death  and  largely  increased  it.  A 
daughter  of  Peter  Schuyler  successfully  negoti- 
ated with  the  Indians  in  1772,  as  a clause  from 
a letter  of  her  husband  quoted  by  Mrs.  Earle 
indicates  : — 

“ Since  you  left  us  my  wife  has  been  in  the 
Indian  country,  and  Van  Slyk  had  purchased  what 
he  could  at  the  upper  end  of  the  land;  she  pur- 
chased the  rest  from  Ignosedash  to  his  purchase. 
She  has  gone  through  a great  deal  of  hardship  and 
42 


THE  YOUNG  MISTRESS 


trouble  about  it,  being  from  borne  almost  ever  since 
you  left  us;  and  prevailed  with  tbe  Indians  whilst 
there  with  trouble  and  expense  to  mark  out  tbe 
land  where  mine  is  into  the  woods.  Mrs.  Feather 
has  been  slaving  with  her  all  this  while,  and  hard 
enough  to  do  with  that  perverse  generation,  to 
bring  them  to  terms.” 

These  emergencies  were  not  only  matters 
of  trade,  such  as  were  accomplished  by 
Madame  Proovost,  who  as  Madame  James 
Alexander,  the  mother  of  Lord  Stirling, 
“ within  a few  hours  of  being  brought  to  bed 
was  in  her  shop  ” and  “ The  very  next  day 
after  She  was  brought  to  Bed  she  Sold  goods 
to  above  thirty  pounds  in  value.”  Sometimes 
these  emergencies  involved  acts  of  heroism  and 
courage.  It  is  somewhat  irritating  to  observe 
how  little  these  women  seemed  to  comprehend 
the  part  they  played  in  the  great  drama  then 
unfolding.  Everything  their  capabilities  spared 
the  men  was  that  much  given  to  the  country. 
When  this  or  that  deed  was  done  they  re- 
sumed without  celebration  or  comment  the 
charge  of  household  and  children.  It  is  in  this 
respect  that  Catherine  Schuyler  is  the  most 
distinguished  representative  Dutchwoman  of 
her  time. 


43 


IV 


YOUNG  MARRIED  LIFE 

In  a week  the  young  Captain  was  back  at 
Lake  George  among  his  boats  and  supplies, 
and  his  bride  was  undergoing  her  novitiate 
between  these  two  households.  It  was  an 
inglorious  period  in  military  affairs.  The 
victory  on  Lake  George  was  not  followed  up. 
General  Abercrombie  had  established  head- 
quarters at  Albany,  and  with  ten  thousand 
men  in  camp  awaited  the  arrival  of  Lord 
Loudoun.  This  delay  was  bitterly  opposed  by 
the  Provincials.  The  burden  of  maintaining 
the  military  without  corresponding  advantage 
was  sturdily  objected  to  by  the  Dutch  burghers. 
Every  household  had  its  billet  of  soldiers. 
There  is  a piteous  appeal  of  the  Council  to  the 
military  authorities  to  “ metigate  said  order.” 

But  there  were  other  objections  to  the 
presence  of  the  soldier  than  those  of  expense. 
The  gay  young  red-coated  officers  created 
havoc  among  the  hearts  of  the  demure  Dutch 
girls.  Both  men  and  women  imitated  the 

44 


YOUNG  MARRIED  LIFE 


dress  and  manners  of  tlie  English.  The  tone 
of  society  at  least  now  was  not  dull.  Madame 
Schuyler  and  her  husband,  the  Colonel,  were 
on  a visit  to  their  friends  in  New  York,  and 
thus  the  watchful  eye  and  vigorous  hand  of 
that  lady  were  wanting.  There  remained  how- 
ever, the  Rev.  Theodore  Frelinghuysen,  the 
pastor  of  the  Dutch  church,  who  married,  bap- 
tized, and  buried  all  the  gentry  young  and  old 
of  Albany,  and  hitherto  the  official  guardian  of 
manners  and  morals. 

Among  the  new  diversions  introduced  by  the 
English  was  the  play.  Young  Phil  Schuyler 
in  the  same  letter  written  to  his  friend  “ Brom  ” 
of  his  sweetheart,  speaks  of  going  to  the 
theatre,  evidently  for  the  first  time.  “ We  had 
tea  at  five  o’clock  and  befor  sundown  we  were 
at  the  theatre  for  the  players  commence  at 
six.  A large  green  curtain  hung  be  fore  the 
players  until  they  were  ready  to  begin,  when 
at  the  blast  of  a whistle,  it  was  raised  and 
some  of  them  appeared  and  commenced  acting. 
The  play  was  called  4 The  Conscious  Lover,’ 
written  by  Richard  Steele,  Addison’s  help  in 
writing  the  Spectator.”  However,  except  by 
those  families  who  visited  New  York,  a play  had 
never  before  been  seen.  The  piece  was  “ The 
Beaux’  Stratagem,”  and  was  acted  by  the 
officers  themselves  in  a barn.  This  was  so 


45 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


well  attended  that  another  night  “ The 
Recruiting  Officer  ” was  given. 

Great  was  the  scandal  in  the  church  and 
among  the  burghers.  Their  indictment  was 
searching.  “ Officers  familiar  with  every  vice 
and  disguise,  had  not  only  spent  a whole  night 
in  telling  lies  in  a counterfeited  place,  the 
reality  of  which  never  existed,  but  that  they 
themselves  were  a lie,  and  had  degraded  man- 
hood by  assuming  female  habits  ; that  they  had 
not  only  told  lies,  but  cursed  and  swore  the 
whole  night ; and  assumed  the  characters  of 
knaves  and  fools  and  robbers,  which  every 
good  man  held  in  detestation,  and  no  man 
would  put  on  unless  they  felt  themselves  easy 
in  them.”  Moreover,  they  painted  their  faces, 
which  was  against  God  and  nature.  The 
occurrence  called  for  public  rebuke.  This  the 
Rev.  Theodore  Frelinghuysen  knew  himself 
competent  to  administer.  On  the  one  hand 
the  parents  ranged  themselves  in  line  with  the 
preacher.  On  the  other,  the  young  people 
entrenched  themselves  in  their  disobedience. 
The  harmony  which  distinguished  Dutch  fami- 
lies was  broken.  Young  men  withstood  their 
fathers,  and  daughters  defied  their  mothers. 
At  length  some  mischievous  person  laid  at  the 
dominie’s  door  a club,  a pair  of  shoes,  a piece 
of  black  bread,  and  some  silver.  The  meaning 

4G 


YOUNG  MARRIED  LIFE 


was  plain:  it  was  desired  that  he  should  depart. 
The  club  was  to  support  his  steps,  the  shoes  to 
wear  on  the  road,  the  bread  and  money  to 
nourish  him  on  his  journey. 

In  the  midst  of  this  clamor  Aunt  Schuyler 
returned  from  New  York.  Her  wisdom  in  the 
choice  of  friends  had  guarded  her  own  little 
flock  of  nephews  and  nieces  from  contamina- 
tion. Her  efforts  were  devoted  to  soothing  the 
wounded  spirit  of  the  dominie,  whose  young 
flock  had  revolted.  She  was  not  successful. 
He  determined  to  return  to  Holland,  and 
accordingly  set  sail  in  an  opportune  Dutch 
vessel.  He  was  never  heard  from  again.  At 
length  the  news  came  that  in  a fit  of  melan- 
choly he  walked  overboard  and  was  lost  at  sea. 
It  was  variously  believed.  Romantic  stories 
clustered  about  his  memory.  Now  he  was 
heard  of  as  a hermit  on  some  distant  isle  of  the 
sea.  Again  his  return  was  anticipated  after 
long  wandering  among  unknown  lands. 

The  Schuyler  family  had  been  too  intimately 
associated  with  the  English,  both  publicly  and 
in  social  life,  to  share  the  more  violent  preju- 
dices of  the  Dutch.  In  the  effort  to  allow  for 
greater  freedom  while  restraining  it  within 
decorous  bounds  they  were  supported  by  Lord 
Howe,  who  in  the  intimacy  of  camp  and  family 
had  become  like  a brother  to  Philip  Schuyler. 

47 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


Instead  of  living  with  his  brother  officers  in 
town  he  occupied  a tent  with  his  brigade  below 
town,  where  we  find  him  endeavoring  to  set  an 
example  of  temperance  and  economy  to  his 
brother  officers,  and  protesting  against  the  sale 
of  liquor  to  the  men.  In  the  morning  it  was 
his  custom  on  rising  to  mount  horse  and  ride 
up  to  his  friends’  to  breakfast,  and  after  an 
hour’s  familiar  intercourse  over  the  table,  ride 
back  to  his  military  duties  again.  Philip 
Schuyler  himself  was  rarely  there.  During 
these  disturbed  times  in  the  social  life  of 
Albany  he  was  at  Fort  Edward  building  bat- 
teaux,  making  roads  and  bridges  for  the  cam- 
paign confidently  expected  to  open  in  the  spring. 
In  all  the  gay  doings  Catherine  Schuyler  had 
but  little  part.  On  February  22,  1756,  a little 
daughter  was  born.  According  to  the  custom 
of  the  Dutch  families  she  was  named  Angelica, 
after  that  Engeltke  Livingston  who  was  her 
grandmother.  Many  years  later  in  a letter  to 
her  daughter  Mrs.  Cruger  this  same  Angelica 
wrote  of  another  member  of  the  family : 

“I  regret  that  she  did  not  give  her  daughter  her 
mother’s  name,  and  her  son  that  of  his  grandfather, 
the  founder  of  the  family  in  this  country.  I am 
sensible  that  this  is  an  old  fashioned  aristocratic 
notion  and  family  pride,  and  you  must  excuse  me 
for  it  — to  others.” 


48 


YOUNG  MARRIED  LIFE 


In  the  spring  the  young  husband  and  wife 
were  united,  but  not  for  long.  The  disgust  of 
the  Provincials  at  the  inaction  and  profligacy 
of  the  King’s  troops  “ fattening  at  the  tables  of 
their  hosts  ” increased.  “ Go  back  to  your 
own  country,”  said  Mayor  Cuyler ; “ we  can 
defend  our  frontiers  ourselves.”  The  dissatis- 
faction was  made  stronger  by  a decree  that  the 
regulars  should  outrank  the  militai’y  of  the 
Province, — a decree,  however,  which  it  was  not 
thought  prudent  to  enforce.  These  difficulties 
but  stimulated  the  Colonists  to  new  efforts. 
Among  the  intimates  of  Aunt  Schuyler  was 
General  John  Bradstreet,  quartermaster  gen- 
eral of  the  English  army.  Captain  Schuyler 
had  been  with  him  at  Fort  Edward,  where  he 
had  observed  “ the  perfect  command  of  temper, 
acuteness  and  despatch  of  business  ” that  dis- 
tinguished this  young  man  of  twenty-two.  Pie 
accordingly  made  him  his  secretary  and  deputy. 
It  was  a notable  friendship,  long  enduring  and 
faithfully  preserved.  Bradstreet  was  in  charge 
of  the  expedition  preparing  for  the  relief  of  the 
fort  at  Oswego,  now  threatened  by  Montcalm 
and  his  Indians.  With  her  baby  but  a few 
months  old  Catherine  Schuyler  was  again 
obliged  to  see  her  husband  set  off  on  another 
perilous  campaign. 

The  expedition  arrived  too  late.  The  Rangers, 

4 49 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


as  the  farmer  backwoodsmen  who  reinforced 
the  Provincial  troops  were  called,  were  defeated. 
The  garrison  fled  to  the  river,  where  Captain 
Schuyler  and  his  boats  received  them,  and  a 
terrible  fight  took  place  in  the  water.  How- 
ever, they  successfully  made  away  and  reached 
Albany  in  safety.  Defeat,  however,  had  brought 
a personal  victory,  and  the  young  soldier’s 
reputation  had  sensibly  increased  through  his 
promptness  and  skill  in  the  emergency.  The 
gratification  of  Madame  Schuyler  at  her  neph- 
ew’s brave  conduct  of  affairs  has  been  made 
known.  It  may  be  inferred  that  that  of  his 
wife  was  no  less.  There  were  stories  of  per- 
sonal heroism.  A Frenchman  wounded  in  the 
pursuit  was  about  to  be  scalped  by  an  Indian, 
when  Philip  Schuyler  interposed.  The  terri- 
fied man  begged  not  to  be  left  behind,  but  the 
boats  being  full  his  protector  took  him  in  his 
arms  and  swam  the  Oswego.  It  completes 
this  story  of  generosity  and  chivali'y  toward 
a foe  to  add  that  during  the  Revolution,  when 
in  Canada,  this  rescued  Frenchman  made 
himself  known  to  General  Schuyler,  as  he  had 
then  become.  There  is  every  evidence  that  the 
Dutch  women  bore  themselves  with  serenity  dur- 
ing the  vicissitudes  of  those  days,  but  such  inci- 
dents must  have  contributed  to  the  joys  of  a safe 
return  and  ameliorated  the  pain  of  separation. 

50 


YOUNG  MARRIED  LIFE 


During  this  year  the  husband  of  Aunt 
Schuyler  died,  and  the  brief  epoch  of  domestic 
life  was  spent  for  the  most  part  at  the  hospi- 
table mansion  known  as  The  Flatts,  where 
Aunt  Schuyler  in  her  grief  clung  more  closely 
to  her  young  people.  The  Flatts  is  four  miles 
above  Albany,  opposite  to  what  was  then  a 
beautiful  wooded  island  in  the  Hudson,  now 
long  since  covered  with  smoke-producing  mills. 
The  house  remains  beneath  lofty  forest  trees, 
with  a soft  green  lawn,  much  as  it  was  ; but  the 
busy  road  on  the  river’s  edge  along  which  the 
armies  marched  from  Fort  Orange  to  Fort 
Edward,  to  Saratoga,  and  to  Ticonderoga,  is 
long  since  swallowed  up  by  the  waves.  The 
house  has  the  character  of  the  time.  The  walls 
are  two  feet  thick ; the  solid  Dutch  shutters 
still  show  where  a Tory  bayonet  of  ’76  tried 
to  force  entrance.  The  kitchen  is  dismantled 
of  its  fine  old  fireback,  hearing  in  relief  the 
English  coat-of-arms,  with  its  long-reaching 
crane.  These  now  after  a life  of  hospitable 
cares  are  preserved  for  the  curiosity  of  the 
idle  visitor  by  the  descendants  of  Pedrom, 
its  owner’s  brother,  still  in  possession. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  low-lying  orchard 
another  sort  of  hospitality  was  practised. 
Here  was  a large  open  field  known  as  the 
“ Indian  Field.”  Under  the  shade  of  the 


51 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


overhanging  trees  the  friendly  Indians  were 
accustomed  to  plant  their  wigwams,  sharing 
in  the  benefits  of  the  great  house.  Here  the 
children  of  both  races  were  accustomed  to  play 
together,  the  boys  learning  the  arts  of  wood 
and  field  from  the  Indian  boys,  the  girls  pick- 
ing up  all  sorts  of  tricks  in  weaving  and  plait- 
ing from  the  Indian  girls,  and  all  talking  a 
curious  language  of  English,  Dutch,  and  Indian. 
There  was  mutual  commerce  of  this  sort 
among  the  older  women.  Dutch  babies  were 
cradled  in  birchbark  cradles,  such  as  the 
Indian  women  made  for  their  babies.  The 
negro  women  on  their  part  learned  how  to 
economize  time  by  strapping  the  babies  on 
their  backs  pappoose  fashion.  Killian  Yan 
Rensselaer,  afterward  private  secretary  to 
General  Schuyler,  said  he  well  remembered 
being  strapped  on  to  his  old  nurse  Dinah’s 
back  while  she  went  on  with  her  scrubbing. 

During  this  year  and  amid  these  surround- 
ings, another  baby  girl  came  to  the  young 
couple.  She  was  christened  Elizabeth,  and 
her  father  makes  another  entry  in  the  family 
Bible:  “Elizabeth.  Born  August  9th,  1757. 
Lord  do  according  to  thy  will  with  her.” 
From  a bill  of  a subsequent  date  the  physi- 
cian on  such  occasions  appears  to  have  been 
that  Dr.  Stringer,  in  whose  cause  during  the 
52 


YOUNG  MARRIED  LIFE 


Revolution  General  Schuyler  addressed  one 
of  those  caustic  letters  to  Congress  which 
he  knew  how  to  write.  The  bill  was  for 
<£37.  This  must  not  he  taken  for  the  price 
of  medical  knowledge  or  the  physician’s  atten- 
tions. The  doctor’s  office  supplied  spices,  which 
on  the  occasion  of  funerals  was  a thriving  busi- 
ness. The  physicians  of  those  days  were  ac- 
customed to  practise  by  the  year,  and  presented 
their  bill  with  commendable  deliberation.  Ja- 
cob Rosenbaum,  a doctor  prominent  in  the 
records  of  church  and  Colony,  “ for  services 
from  the  year  1742  to  the  year  1764  at  12 
shillings  per  annum”  receipts  a bill  for  £13 
4s,  Od.,  which  for  twenty-two  years  seems 
neither  impatient  nor  exorbitant. 

After  the  defeat  at  Oswego  there  was  great 
anxiety  lest  Montcalm  should  attack  Port 
Edward,  and  Albany  be  laid  open  to  the  always 
threatened  descent  of  the  French.  Instead  he 
turned  his  Indian  allies  into  the  fertile  valley 
of  the  Mohawk.  The  little  Elizabeth  was  only 
two  months  old  when  occurred  the  massacre 
of  the  German  Flats,  a peaceful  farming  region 
settled  by  the  Germans.  The  settlers  who 
escaped  the  tomahawk  fled  to  Albany  for 
safety.  The  big  barn  at  The  Flatts  was  turned 
over  to  the  women  and  children,  and  the  men 
encamped  on  the  Indian  Field.  This  barn  is 

53 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


historic.  In  it  were  quartered  troops  ; refugees 
were  sheltered  there  ; in  it  the  helpless  women 
and  children  left  behind  in  the  army’s  march 
found  a home ; the  children  of  the  family 
played  in  it  between  rows  of  cattle ; in  it  the 
family  took  exercise  in  bad  weather ; now  it 
resounded  with  the  cries  of  the  wounded,  now 
with  the  lowing  of  the  cows  and  the  cooing  of 
the  doves  in  the  eaves  ; again  the  preacher 
lifted  up  his  voice.  The  Rev.  Samuel  Chandler 
writes  in  his  diary  : “ preached  in  Coll.  Schuy- 
ler’s barn  in  the  Threshing  Floor.  Very  Com- 
modious. Text  Gen.  15-i.  family  attended. 
Dined  with  them,  he  sent  me  in  his  chair  to 
Coll.  Lydius.” 

The  frightened,  half-clad  people,  crying  for 
husbands  and  children  slain  and  captured, 
made  a piteous  sight.  In  ministering  to  them 
Aunt  Schuyler  forgot  her  grief,  and  the  young 
Major’s  wife,  for  such  was  now  his  title,  put 
aside  her  babies.  The  disgust  and  impatience 
of  the  people  at  the  incapacity  and  rapacity  of 
the  Royal  troops,  devouring  their  substance  and 
giving  nothing  in  return,  increased.  The  town 
was  filled  with  army  traders,  adventurers  from 
no  one  knew  where,  who  were  enriching  them- 
selves both  off  the  inhabitants  and  the  King. 
Lord  Loudoun,  who  had  been  introduced  into  the 
household  by  General  Bradstreet,  had  the  bene- 

54 


YOUNG  MARRIED  LIFE 


fit  of  the  views  of  the  mistress  of  The  Flatts, 
who  was  usually  the  spokesman  of  the  commu- 
nity, on  the  situation.  At  length  the  town  was 
relieved  in  a measure  by  the  commander  billet- 
ing some  of  the  soldiers  on  New  York,  to  the 
anger  of  the  community  there,  and  finally  the 
whole  Colony  was  relieved  by  his  departure  with 
the  army  on  the  famous  cabbage-planting  expe- 
dition to  Halifax. 

General  Abercrombie,  however,  was  still 
“ wining  ” in  Albany,  as  the  records  complain, 
when  a change  of  ministry  gave  a new  impetus 
to  affairs.  Albany  now  swarmed  with  engi- 
neers, boatbuilders,  architects,  preparing  for  the 
opening  of  the  campaign  in  the  North.  Gen- 
eral Bradstreet  again  called  to  his  side  young 
Schuyler,  the  mathematical  bent  of  whose  mind 
and  whose  knowledge  of  pioneering  had  already 
distinguished  him  in  this  branch  of  the  service. 
These  were  sorrowful  days  in  the  Schuyler 
household.  These  observant  women  had  little 
confidence  in  an  army  that  had  lain  supine  for 
months  and  steeped  in  the  vices  of  idleness  and 
the  profligacy  of  the  town,  to  encounter  the  un- 
seen difficulties  that  lay  between  Montcalm 
and  his  dreaded  Indian  allies,  entrenched  and 
upon  their  own  ground.  They  had  frequent 
intercourse  with  General  Abercrombie,  for  all 
the  superior  officers  were  visitors  at  The  Flatts 

55 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


and  army  matters  were  freely  discussed.  It  was 
this  opportunity,  in  fact,  which  taught  them 
how  little  the  advice  of  the  Provincials,  know- 
ing both  the  country  and  the  foe,  was  taken 
into  account  by  the  Royal  troops,  relying  on 
their  superior  military  science. 

There  were  other  and  more  specific  trials. 
Colonel  Charles  Lee  was  sent  to  join  Abercrom- 
bie. His  detachment  lay  in  the  Indian  Field 
outlying  the  house.  Charles  Lee  was  never  a 
persuasive  character.  Now  with  volleys  of 
oaths,  and  without  the  customary  warrant,  he 
laid  hands  on  horses,  wagons,  oxen,  right  and 
left,  for  the  use  of  the  army.  Probably  for  the 
first  time  in  her  life  the  mistress  of  the  house 
met  a man  who  ignored  her  place  in  the  com- 
munity. There  is  unfortunately  no  record  of 
the  dispute  between  these  two  when  Madame 
Schuyler  attempted  to  stand  up  for  the  rights 
of  herself  and  neighbors,  but  one  may  imagine 
the  outraged  dignity  and  moral  reflections  with 
which  she  met  his  conversation  punctuated  with 
oaths. 

Lee  was  followed  the  next  day  by  Lord  Howe 
and  his  command,  and  his  sympathetic  indig- 
nation brought  balm  to  the  household.  There 
is  something  beautiful  and  pathetic  in  the  rela- 
tion of  the  young  nobleman  to  this  family. 
His  upright  soul  and  chivalrous  manner  made 

56 


YOUNG  MARRIED  LIFE 


him  very  dear  to  these  women.  To  Philip 
Schuyler  his  influence  and  example  was  that  of 
an  elder  brother.  Of  this  last  interview  Mrs. 
Grant  of  Laggan  writes  : — 

“ They  had  a long  and  very  serious  interview 
that  night.  In  the  morning  his  lordship  proposed 
setting  out  very  early;  but  when  he  arose  he  found 
Madame  waiting  and  breakfast  ready ; he  smiled 
and  said  he  would  not  disappoint  her  as  it  was  hard 
to  say  when  he  might  breakfast  again  with  a lady. 
Impressed  with  an  unaccountable  concern  about 
the  fate  of  an  enterprise  in  which  he  was  embarked, 
she  again  repeated  her  counsels  and  her  cautions; 
and  when  he  was  about  to  depart  embraced  him 
with  the  affection  of  a mother  and  shed  many  tears, 
a weakness  which  she  did  not  often  give  way  to.” 

The  young  wife  had  her  own  forebodings  in 
the  midst  of  this  general  gloom.  She  had  two 
children,  the  oldest  scarcely  over  two  years 
old,  and  another  child  was  soon  expected. 
Margaret  was  in  fact  born  two  months  after  the 
realization  of  their  worst  fears.  Defeat  meant 
the  laying  open  the  valley  of  the  Hudson  to  the 
ravages  of  the  French  army  and  the  scalping- 
knives  of  the  savages  that  had  laid  waste  the 
German  Flats.  The  scenes  of  mourning  a few 
months  before  in  the  Indian  Field  were  not 
forgotten.  No  mother  with  her  helpless  chil- 
dren about  her  could  fail  to  realize  what  defeat 


57 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


might  mean.  The  story  of  Ticonderoga,  its 
picturesque  opening  that  fair  day  in  July,  and 
the  frightful  scenes  of  its  close  is  too  familiar 
to  be  repeated  here.  In  the  afternoon  of  that 
day  a man  was  seen  galloping  furiously 
toward  the  house  without  his  hat.  One  of  the 
family  ran  out  to  meet  him  for  news.  Without 
stopping  he  called  out  that  the  army  was  de- 
feated and  Lord  Howe  killed.  The  house  re- 
sounded with  the  shrieks  of  the  terrified 
women ; servants  and  even  the  children  too 
small  to  comprehend  the  meaning  of  it  all 
added  to  the  sounds  of  grief. 

But  these  were  not  days  when  tears  could  be 
shed  for  long.  The  next  day  came  word  of  the 
disaster,  and  that  the  wounded  in  charge  of 
Philip  Schuyler’s  boats  were  being  conveyed  to 
Albany.  The  women  set  about  transferring  the 
great  Schuyler  barn  into  a hospital.  The 
sheets  and  table-cloths  were  torn  up  for  ban- 
dages. The  negro  women  became  cooks  for  the 
wounded.  Madame  Schuyler  and  her  nieces, 
Catherine  Schuyler  and  Gertrude,  and  the  two 
Misses  Cuyler,  the  daughters  of  the  mayor, 
were  the  nurses.  Among  the  wounded  was 
Charles  Lee,  prostrate  but  as  vehement  as  ever. 
The  late  disagreement  was  not  referred  to  by 
his  gentle  nurses.  But  now,  with  a knowledge 
of  Heaven  to  which  no  one  had  known  he  could 


58 


YOUNG  MARRIED  LIFE 


claim,  he  swore  that  there  was  a place  reserved 
in  the  better  land  for  Madame  even  if  no  other 
woman  got  there,  and  that  he  should  want 
nothing  better  than  to  share  it  with  her. 

These  ministrations  were  too  important  to 
be  interrupted  even  by  the  burial  of  Lord  Howe. 
A more  melancholy  spectacle  the  town  had 
rarely  seen.  The  body  arrived  under  the  es- 
cort of  Philip  Schuyler,  in  the  boats  with  the 
wounded.  He  had  led  the  advance  and  fell  at 
the  first  fire.  He  was  buried  with  military 
honors  in  the  chancel  of  St.  Peter’s,  the  Eng- 
lish church,  where  his  body  still  lies.  These 
days  of  mourning  and  sorrowful  duties  were 
eventually  brightened  by  the  marriage  of  Ger- 
trude Schuyler,  the  sister  of  Philip,  to  Dr. 
John  Cochrane.  A friendship  had  been  formed 
between  the  men  during  the  disastrous  cam- 
paign. The  cares  of  the  wounded  detained  the 
physician  in  Albany,  and  the  enforced  com- 
panionship resulted  in  the  happy  and  auspi- 
cious marriage. 


59 


V 


THE  MISTRESS  OF  THE  MANSION 

The  time  of  fearing  and  mourning  in  the 
Schuyler  household  was  brief.  The  disgust 
of  the  Provincials  at  the  incapacity  of  Aber- 
crombie and  at  the  defenceless  condition  of  the 
frontier  now  took  active  form.  General  Brad- 
street  begged  permission  to  undertake  the  cap- 
ture of  Frontenac,  a French  fortress  on  Lake 
Ontario.  He  took  only  Colonial  troops  in  his 
army  of  three  thousand,  men,  among  them  his 
now  constant  co-adjutor  and  friend  Major 
Schuyler.  “ Bradstreet  went  on  wings  ” was 
the  saying  of  the  day.  In  August  he  presented 
himself  before  Frontenac ; in  a few  days  it  capit- 
ulated, and  the  victors  came  into  possession  not 
only  of  its  armament  and  garrison  but  a large 
and  valuable  collection  of  furs. 

It  was  a joyful  home-coming.  The  wife  not 
only  welcomed  a young  soldier  flushed  with 
victory,  the  more  prized  following  as  it  did  the 
defeat  at  Tieonderoga,  and  achieved  by  the  Pro- 
vincial arms,  but  he  was  present  to  welcome 
60 


THE  MISTRESS  OF  THE  MANSION 


the  expected  child,  which  proved  to  be  another 
daughter,  “ Margaret,”  born  September  25, 
1758.  Now,  for  the  first  time  since  her  mar- 
riage, Catherine  Schuyler  had  the  companion- 
ship of  her  husband  for  a longer  time  than  a 
few  weeks.  General  Abercrombie  being  re- 
called, Lord  Amherst,  who  had  retaken  Ticon- 
deroga  and  Crown  Point  on  his  way  to  Albany 
through  Canada,  had  amved.  The  dangers 
from  the  advance  of  the  French  army  in  that 
direction  was  now  dispelled,  but  the  western 
frontier  was  still  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
The  Colonials,  still  under  the  inspiration  of 
Frontenac,  desired  to  undertake  the  recapture 
of  the  fort  at  Oswego.  The  impetuous  General 
Bradstreet  was  again  in  command.  Philip 
Schuyler  was  now  detailed  to  remain  in  Albany 
and  attend  to  the  boats  and  supplies.  It  may 
be  assumed  that  a wife  and  three  small  girls 
whom  the  father  scarcely  knew  were  a deter- 
mining factor  in  this  arrangement.  General 
Bradstreet  was  intimate  with  the  household 
and  knew  how  hard  the  fortunes  of  war  had 
borne  on  this  little  family.  At  the  same  time 
he  further  showed  his  confidence  in  executing 
a paper  in  which,  aware  of  the  perils  of  the 
enterprise,  he  commends  in  the  interest  of 
his  wife  and  daughter  his  affairs  to  Philip 
Schuyler, 


61 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


General  Bradstreet’s  life  touches  that  of  this 
family  at  many  points.  His  family  came  to 
Albany  from  Boston,  but  did  not  remain. 
Soon  after  Mrs.  Horatio  Gates,  then  stopping  at 
Bristol,  received  a letter  from  her  mother,  Mrs. 
Ann  Phillips,  sent  by  the  hand  of  Mrs.  Brad- 
street  and  her  daughter  returning  to  England. 
It  is  well  known  that  General  Bradstreet  was 
alienated  from  his  wife,  and  that  he  identified 
himself  with  the  Provincial  arms,  although 
he  by  no  means  at  first  held  such  opinions  of 
the  value  of  the  native  soldiers.  This  family 
disagreement  doubtless  caused  him  to  send 
his  deputy  Philip  Schuyler  to  England  to  make 
the  final  adjustment  of  his  accounts  as  quarter- 
master general  of  the  Royal  troops  that  same 
year. 

Twelve  months  had  passed  peacefully  at 
Albany  with  Catherine  Schuyler,  broken  only 
by  the  birth  and  death  of  another  child, 
the  first  boy,  christened  John  Bradstreet 
after  the  father’s  sturdy  friend.  Experiences 
clustered  quickly  around  this  young  couple. 
The  separation  that  now  menaced  them  was 
as  full  of  peril,  and  less  familiar  than  an  Indian 
campaign.  A voyage  to  England  in  those  days 
consumed  a month ; a letter  announcing  the  safe 
arrival  occupied  an  equal  length  of  time.  Lord 
Amherst,  then  in  New  York,  writes  that  failing 

C2 


THE  MISTRESS  OF  THE  MANSION 


to  secure  passage  on  a man-of-war  for  Mr. 
Schuyler  he  has  spoken  to  the  captain  of  the 
General  Wall,  and  will  have  a letter  ready  for 
the  young  envoy  to  secure  his  good  attentions. 
William  Smith  also  desires  that  he  purchase 
him  a stair  carpet  in  London  and  send  it  by  the 
first  ship.  In  February  they  set  sail.  They 
were  not  long  out  when  the  captain  died.  Philip 
Schuyler’s  interest  in  mathematics  had  led  him 
to  study  navigation  as  a pastime  on  board.  In 
this  extremity  he  was  made  captain.  While 
thus  in  command  they  came  across  a slaver  in 
distress.  The  crew  had  abandoned  it,  leaving 
the  cargo  of  slaves  imprisoned  below.  Through 
the  interposition  of  the  new  captain  the  vessel 
halted  and  the  hatches  were  opened  that  the 
unfortunates  might  have  a chance  of  life.  Suc- 
ceeding this  adventure  they  were  captured  by 
a French  privateer,  and  the  captain  and  the 
crew  ironed.  With  his  command  of  French 
young  Captain  Schuyler  was  able  to  explain 
his  position  and  was  released  from  confinement. 
Eventually  they  were  recaptured  by  an  English 
frigate  ; and  at  length  a voyage  that  did  not 
lack  for  incident  was  brought  successfully  to 
an  end. 

“ I congratulate  you  most  heartily,”  his  friend 
William  Smith  wrote,  “ on  your  escape  and 
arrival  and  extreme  good  fortune  in  saving 

63 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


your  papers.  Col.  de  Lancy  forwarded  your 
letters  to  Mrs.  Schuyler  and  Gen.  Bradstreet 
by  express,  before  I got  borne  from  the  Post. 
I shall  write  her  by  the  first  post.” 

The  discipline  and  novitiate  of  these  brief 
years  of  married  life,  filled  with  perils  and 
anxieties,  now  disclosed  their  value.  That  able 
social  general  and  housewife,  Madame  Schuyler, 
was  growing  old  with  her  griefs  and  responsi- 
bilities, which  did  not  lessen  as  children  rapidly 
appeared  upon  the  scene  and  parents  disap- 
peared from  it.  The  mother  of  her  husband, 
Cornelia  Schuyler,  that  active  woman  of  affairs, 
had  taken  her  place  as  a grandmother.  Cath- 
erine Schuyler  was  now  left  with  her  three  little 
girls  and  a large  share  in  the  conduct  of  her 
husband’s  affairs,  which  in  the  interval  of  peace 
had  become  considerable.  By  the  murder  of 
his  uncle  Philip  by  Indians  he  had  come  into 
a large  estate  at  Saratoga,  in  addition  to  the 
family  property  left  by  his  father.  He  had 
also  acquired  a great  deal  of  land  through 
dealings  with  the  Mohawks  in  connection  with 
General  Bradstreet. 

During  the  year  her  husband  was  in  Europe 
the  family  was  installed  in  the  house  hereafter 
known  as  the  family  mansion,  still  standing 
at  the  head  of  Schuyler  Street,  Albany,  and 
now  the  home  of  the  Sisters  of  St.  Francis  de 

G4 


THE  MISTRESS  OF  THE  MANSION 


Sales.  The  confusion  concerning  the  building 
of  this  house  cannot  be  definitely  settled. 
It  is  variously  ascribed  to  General  Bradstreet 
and  to  Catherine  Schuyler.  That  its  archi- 
tecture and  character  are  English  rather  than 
Dutch,  indicates  the  influence  of  the  English 
taste  of  the  General  rather  than  the  Dutch 
predilections  of  the  Yan  Rensselaers  and  Schuy- 
lers.  The  traditions  of  the  family  are  that 
Catherine  Schuyler  superintended  the  building 
of  the  house.  This  is  probable  ; it  is  also  prob- 
able that  General  Bradstreet  advised  and  as- 
sisted her,  even  as  he  was  accustomed  to  inter- 
est himself  in  her  husband’s  affairs.  This  view 
is  strengthened  by  a letter  from  Lord  Amherst 
at  this  period,  in  which  he  commends  General 
Bradstreet  for  using  the  carpenters  collected 
for  the  use  of  the  army  and  now  idle.  This, 
however,  it  was  not  uncommon  to  do.  After 
the  burning  of  Madame  Schuyler’s  home  at  The 
Flatts,  the  mechanics  of  the  army  were  im- 
pressed into  her  service  by  General  Bradstreet 
and  the  house  speedily  rebuilt. 

“ A handsome  house  half  way  up  the  bank 
opposite  to  the  ferry  seemed  to  attract  atten- 
tion and  to  invite  strangers  to  stop  at  Gen. 
Schuylers,  who  is  the  proprietor  as  well  as 
architect,”  writes  Count  de  Chastellux  a few 
years  later,  controverting  this  view.  “ The 

5 65 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


house  is  imposingly  placed  on  high  ground  at 
that  time  in  full  view  of  the  river.”  Elkanah 
Watson,  intent  on  canal  business,  writes  of  the 
approach  by  river  from  Albany : “ They  are  a 
number  of  gentleman’s  very  elegant  seats  in 
view  from  that  part  of  the  river  before  the 
Town,  among  them  I think  General  Schuyler’s 
has  the  preference.” 

It  is  still  to-day  a notable  house,  honestly, 
sturdily  built  after  the  custom  of  the  times, 
with  walls  that  will  serve  for  defence,  and 
stout  brass  locks  whose  keys  must  turn  twice 
before  they  will  give  entrance.  It  is  built 
of  yellow  brick.  On  each  side  of  the  hexa- 
gonal vestibule  are  three  windows ; above  these 
are  seven  windows  measuring  the  unusual 
breadth  of  the  house.  Within  is  a spacious 
hall  sixty  feet  long,  to  which  the  windows  on 
each  side  of  the  door  give  light.  It  is  a noble 
room  wainscotted  in  white.  Doors  lead  on  one 
side  into  the  sitting-room,  on  the  other  into 
the  drawing-room,  splendidly  lighted,  with  deep 
window  seats  and  broad  mantels  handsomely 
carved.  In  the  drawing-room  two  notable 
weddings  have  taken  place.  The  first  was  that 
of  Elizabeth  Schuyler  to  Alexander  Hamilton ; 
the  other  that  of  Mrs.  McIntosh,  who  then 
owned  the  house,  to  Millard  Fillmore.  The 
main  hall  is  divided  from  the  back  hall,  which 
66 


THE  MISTRESS  OF  THE  MANSION 


is  entered  by  a fine  old  Colonial  door  with  fan 
and  side  lights  enriched  by  delicate  tracery, 
and  making  an  attractive  feature  of  the  larger 
hall.  The  back  hall  receives  the  staircase,  not 
more  remarkable  for  its  historic  incidents  than 
for  the  beautiful  sweep  of  its  lines  and  the 
fine  carving  of  its  spindled  balustrade. 

Behind  the  sitting-room  is  the  dining- 
room, the  scene  of  forty  years  of  generous 
hospitality.  On  the  other  side  the  drawing- 
room leads  into  a private  hall,  and  a room  that 
in  those  days  of  rapidly  increasing  children 
was  used  as  a nursery.  Behind  this  was  the 
library.  Here  there  is  the  story  of  a bricked 
up  enclosure  which  formerly  led  to  a subter- 
ranean passage  in  connection  with  the  river, 
to  be  used  in  case  of  surprise.  The  staircase 
leads  to  the  upper  hall,  now  occupied  by  rows 
of  little  white  cots  in  which  homeless  babies 
sleep,  where  the  merry  and  gay  young  Schuyler 
girls  used  to  dance  with  the  uniformed  gallants 
in  the  intervals  of  the  War  of  Independence. 
This  was  used  as  a ball-i’oom,  and  on  either 
side  are  the  chambers  in  which  cluster  so 
many  historic  reminiscences.  The  view  from 
these  rooms  is  so  fine  that  one  may  readily 
enter  into  the  enthusiasm  of  the  travellers  who 
visited  the  house  when  the  grounds  sloped 
down  toward  the  river  and  the  forest-trees 


67 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


adorned  the  slopes.  One  of  these  in  the 
“ Gentleman’s  Magazine”  in  1790  writes:  “The 
grounds  are  laid  out  in  all  the  elaborate  art 
of  French  landscape  gardening  with  here  and 
there  parterres  some  of  which  are  nicely 
lawned.  Beyond  the  Western  shores  of  the 
Hudson,  the  Heidelberg,  precipitous  and 
scraggy,  sweep  in  a majestic  range,  while 
further  in  the  distance  are  the  blue  peaks  of 
the  Catskills.” 

The  grounds  are  still  attractive.  The  lilac 
hedge  and  the  row  of  chestnuts  still  remain. 
The  Schuyler  garden  was  famous  for  its  fruits, 
especially  for  its  pears  and  plums.  The  Schuy- 
ler gage  has  a history.  This  was  raised  by 
General  Schuyler  from  the  common  plum. 
It  was  a long  yellow  oval  with  crimson  streaks. 
Many  were  the  ruses  to  obtain  a graft  from  it. 
The  General’s  rival,  Isaac  Denniston,  made 
many  efforts  to  secure  it,  which  the  General 
delighted  to  frustrate.  When  the  place  fell  into 
other  hands  the  possessor,  John  Bryan,  guarded 
it  as  carefully  as  did  the  original  owner.  The 
Albany  women  were  famous  gardeners  and 
florists.  There  are  pleasant  pictures  of  them 
drawn  by  gossipy  old  travellers  bending  over 
their  tulip  beds  and  garden  borders,  shaded  by 
the  wide-spreading  calash  or  wagon  bonnet. 

The  installation  into  a house  of  such  dignity 
68 


THE  MISTRESS  OF  THE  MANSION 


•would  have  been  a serious  matter  to  any  but 
a Dutch  housewife  and  one  so  ably  trained. 
The  furniture  that  has  come  down  from  that 
period  is  retained  in  the  different  branches 
of  the  family.  The  large  dining-table  of 
polished  mahogany  which  divides  in  two  and 
folds  on  brass  hinges,  the  substantial  mahog- 
any chairs  with  leather  seats,  the  slender 
legged  sideboards  with  cellarets,  the  consoles 
and  dressers,  the  Lowestoft  and  gilded  china, 
the  mirrors  surmounted  by  eagles,  the  brass 
sconces,  the  eight-day  clocks,  the  Turkey  car- 
pets, were  part  of  the  furnishing  of  all  the 
great  houses  of  that  day.  Conspicuous  among 
these  is  the  four-posted  bed  with  its  tester  and 
gilded  wreath,  beneath  which  Washington  and 
Lafayette  and  other  great  ones  of  the  earth 
slipped  their  dignities  with  their  clothes  and 
slept  like  natural  men. 

The  Dutch  housewife  had  her  treasures  of 
linen  as  part  of  her  bridal  trousseau.  An  old 
time-stained  record  contains  the  inventory  of 
“ 35  homespun  Sheets,  9 Fine  sheets,  12  Tow 
Sheets,  13  bolster-cases,  6 pillow-biers,  9 diaper 
brakefast  cloathes,  17  Table  cloathes,  12  damask 
Napkin,  27  homespun  Napkins,  31  Pillow-cases, 
11  dresser  Cloathes  and  a damask  Cupboard 
Cloathe.”  Mrs.  Grant  speaks  of  the  impressive 
scriptural  paintings,  the  portraits  and  the  plate 

69 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


that  had  been  brought  over  from  Holland  and 
divided  among  the  members  of  the  family. 
A quantity  of  the  General’s  silver  was  stolen 
during  the  Revolution  and  carried  to  Canada. 
A soup  tureen  was  subsequently  encountered 
there  bearing  his  name.  There  still  remain 
numerous  pieces  — pierced  baskets  of  great 
beauty,  salvers,  punch-brewing  apparatus,  tank- 
ards, pitchers  and,  the  rarest  of  all,  the 
Queen  Anne  vase  presented  to  Colonel  Peter 
Schuyler. 

Kalm,  the  Swedish  naturalist,  who  visited 
Albany  in  1749,  gives  a mournful  account  of 
the  food  eaten  by  the  inhabitants.  Mrs.  Grant 
on  the  other  hand  sets  forth  an  abundant  and 
attractive  table.  At  dinner  there  was  always 
game  or  poultry  and  shell  fish  when  in  season. 
The  young  men  and  the  slaves  kept  the  house- 
holds supplied  with  Avild  turkeys  and  ducks. 
Beef,  mutton,  and  fowls  were  supplied  in  the 
markets,  which  Avere  rigidly  supervised.  The 
prices  were  established  by  ordinance.  “ Beef 
4<7,  mutton  4 d.  hapenny,  fowls,  6c?.”  These 
prices  as  they  are  found  in  the  old  city  records 
scarcely  vary  from  year  to  year.  Ten  shillings’ 
fine  was  levied  for  violation  of  this  ordinance. 

Tea,”  says  Mrs.  Grant,  “ was  a perfect  regale  ; 
accompanied  by  all  sorts  of  cake  unknown  to 
us,  cold  pastry,  and  great  quantities  of  sweet- 

70 


THE  MISTRESS  OF  TEE  MANSION 


meats  and  preserved  fruits  of  all  kinds,  and 
plates  of  hickory  and  other  nuts  cracked.  In 
all  manner  of  confectionary  and  pastry  these 
people  excelled ; and  having  great  fruit  in 
abundance,  which  cost  them  nothing,  and 
getting  sugar  home  at  a easy  rate  in  return 
for  their  exports  to  the  West  Indies,  the 
quantities  of  these  articles  used  in  families, 
otherwise  plain  and  frugal  was  astonishing.” 

The  characteristic  dish  of  the  natives  was 
“ suppawn.”  That  observing  young  aide-de- 
camp,  Tench  Tilgliman,  when  visiting  in  Albany 
and  doing  the  honors  to  Mrs.  Huger  and  Miss 
Lynch,  some  South  Carolina  ladies,  promised 
them  a dish  of  “ suppawn,”  which  he  fulfilled, 
to  their  great  entertainment.  This  was  a spe- 
cies of  mush  of  Indian  meal  eaten  with  milk, 
and  does  not  seem  to  differ  greatly  from  the 
hasty  pudding  of  New  England.  The  Schuy- 
ler wine  cellar  is  invariably  praised  by  guests. 
Young  Tilghman  is  enthusiastic  over  the 
Madeira, which  he  says  was  much  better  “than 
in  our  province.”  Chastellux  also  speaks  of 
the  Schuyler  Madeira.  Holland  gin,  rum,  and 
the  cider  made  in  the  Colony  were  the  accus- 
tomed drink.  The  libations  were  frequent. 
Everything  served  as  an  excuse.  One  of  the 
early  Labadist  travellers  speaks  of  seeing  min- 
isters in  the  pulpit  worse  for  liquor.  Mrs.  Earle 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


has  unearthed  the  liquor  bill  attested  by  Dominie 
Megaliopensis  at  the  raising  of  his  church,  and 
“ each  rafter  is  steeped  in  liquor.”  It  must 
be  confessed  that  they  bore  the  burden  man- 
fully. Chastellux,  after  leaving  the  Schuylers 
one  cold  morning  in  winter,  said  that  everybody 
he  met  on  the  streets  was  drunk,  but  great  was 
his  wonder  at  the  way  they  conveyed  them- 
selves safely  over  the  steep  slippery  inclines 
of  the  Albany  streets. 

There  is  no  evidence  that  Catherine  Schuyler 
ever  delegated  any  of  the  responsibilities  that 
now  heaped  upon  the  mistress  of  so  important 
a mansion.  The  reputation  of  her  frugality 
and  good  management  have  come  down,  to- 
gether with  her  unobtrusive,  kindly  spirit  and 
many  charities.  We  may  imagine  her,  in  the 
costume  of  the  time,  looking  well  to  the  ways 
of  her  household.  This  was  not  that  of  the 
Dutch  matron,  except  as  it  was  modified  by  the 
English  fashions  of  the  day.  The  women  of 
the  upper  class  adopted  the  Stuart  dress  as 
soon  as  it  was  imported.  The  short  gown  and 
petticoat  of  the  vrouw  was  exchanged  for  the 
English  pointed  bodice  and  hoop,  the  Dutch 
cap  for  one  of  the  neAv  bonnets,  the  skimmer 
hat  with  a low  crown  and  broad  flat  brim,  the 
Bath  bonnet,  which  folded  like  a modern  crush 
hat,  the  white  beaver,  which  tied  under  the 
72 


THE  MISTRESS  OF  THE  MANSION 


chin,  the  mush-melon,  the  calash,  and  the  wagon 
bonnet,  or  the  only  straw  hat  worn,  which 
was  called  the  bee-hive.  The  only  wrap  was  a 
loose  cloak  called  the  cardinal,  or  capuchin, 
which  in  the  rain  was  exchanged  for  a camlet. 
The  insignia  of  the  married  state  was  a gayly 
embroidered  or  brocaded  bag,  in  which  were  the 
household  keys,  snuff  box,  needlebook,  and 
piece  of  sweet  flag  to  keep  off  qualms.  At  the 
side  hung  pincushions  and  little  scissors  swung 
from  silver  chains.  Thus  we  discover  the  mis- 
tress shopping  at  James  Gourlay’s  in  Cheap- 
side  Street  next  door  to  the  King's  Arms, 
among  his  “ Scotch  Snuff,  Tobacco,  Bibles  & 
Testaments,  Spelling  Books,  Green  & Bohea 
Tea,  Chocolate,  Playing  Cards,  Shirt  Buttons, 
Curtain  Callicoes,  Pink  Powder  and  Knee 
Garters.” 

There  were  many  errands  to  tempt  ladies  of 
her  position  abroad.  Near  the  Dutch  church 
Mr.  Thomas  Berry  kept  “ Love  Ribbons,  Fiddle 
strings,  Ratinets,  Shalloons,  Tobacco  boxes  & 
best  China,  Enticks  Pocket  Dictionaries  & 
Snuff.”  A visit  to  Ezra  Ames  was  interesting. 
His  studio,  as  it  would  now  be  called,  was  in 
Mark  Lane.  Ezra  called  it  plainly  his  shop, 
at  the  sign  of  “ Raphael’s  Bust.”  There  he 
solicited  the  patronage  of  “ Admirers  of  the 
Fine  Arts.  The  Painting  of  Portraits,  Minea- 

73 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


tures,  Hair  Devices  and  Standards  executed  in 
the  most  elegant  taste  and  stile  ; also  Free 
Masons  Aprons,  Sashes,  and  Ornamental  Paint- 
ings done  in  the  best  manner  and  on  the  most 
reasonable  terms.”  The  favorite  work  of  art 
was  the  silhouette.  Ladies  out  shopping  were 
notified  that  J.  Wood  “would  occupy  but  5 
minutes  making  their  ‘ Physiognotrace  ’ at 
the  cost  of  5 crowns.”  In  none  of  the  old 
advertisements  or  records  are  any  books  an- 
nounced for  sale  except  Bibles,  Spelling  books, 
and  in  one  case  Entick’s  Dictionary.  The 
Dutch  were  more  zealous  for  their  schools  than 
the  English.  After  the  English  rule  obtained 
the  schools  languished,  if  the  lighter  accom- 
plishments flourished.  “ Neither  the  perils  of 
war,  nor  the  busy  pursuit  of  gain,  nor  the 
excitements  of  political  life  ever  caused  the 
Dutch  to  neglect  the  duty  of  educating  their 
offspring  to  enjoy  the  freedom  for  which  their 
fathers  had  fought.  Schools  were  everywhere 
provided  at  the  public  expense.”  Wagon-loads 
of  spelling  books  were  sent  by  them  through 
the  country  in  order  to  supply  the  farmers  and 
the  frontier  families.  Later  Monsieur  Dupan- 
loup  opened  his  dancing  school,  a “ guinea 
entrance  fee  and  a guinea  a quarter  for 
instruction,”  which  seems  to  indicate  a fash- 
ionable and  exclusive  enterprise. 


THE  MISTRESS  OF  THE  MANSION 


Other  books  were  imported.  These  were  all 
of  a serious  nature.  The  favorite  poets,  says 
the  sprightly  Eliza  Quincy  in  her  day,  were 
Shenstone,  Milton,  and  Dodsworth  ; the  fash- 
ionable novels  were  “ The  Search  after  Happi- 
ness,” by  Hannah  More,  and  the  works  of 
Madame  de  Genlis,  and  these  were  only  in  the 
possession  of  such  blue  stockings  as  Annis 
Stockton.  The  family  of  Elias  Boudinot,  one  of 
the  most  literary  of  the  day,  sat  down  in  the 
evening  to  the  entertainment  of  sacred  histo- 
ries and  biography  read  aloud.  “ If  I were 
Cowley  or  some  modern  wit,”  writes  Josiah 
Quincy,  indicating  the  melancholy  character  of 
the  humor  of  the  time.  Little  Miss  McVickar, 
to  be  sure,  read  Shakespeare  at  The  Flatts,  be- 
fore its  destruction  by  fire  in  1768,  and  gives  a 
spirited  account  of  her  absorption  in  “ Othello,” 
while  seated  on  a nest  of  young  snakes,  to  the 
indignation  of  their  mother,  who  finally  chased 
her  away.  But  she  makes  it  clearly  under- 
stood that  Shakespeare  was  a questionable 
author  at  The  Flatts,  where  the  plays  were 
considered  grossly  familiar,  and  by  no  means 
to  be  compared  to  “ Cato,”  which  Madame 
Schuyler  greatly  admired.  The  “ Essay  on 
Man  ” was  also  in  high  esteem  with  this  lady, 
who  led  the  taste  in  books,  as  in  other  matters. 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


She  also  found  great  entertainment  in  Burnet’s 
Memoirs. 

After  a year  and  a half  in  England,  Philip 
Schuyler  returned,  his  business  successfully 
accomplished,  having  seen  the  sights,  and  with 
his  mind  stored  with  suggestions  for  future 
use.  The  canal  of  the  Duke  of  Bridgewater 
had  particularly  made  an  impression  on  a mind 
alert  to  the  needs  of  his  own  country.  His 
body,  however,  was  not  in  condition.  Lord  Am- 
herst writes  to  General  Bradstreet,  November 
21,  1762:  “His  sickness  is  a very  good  excuse 
for  taking  the  shortest  way  home.”  Wife, 
children,  and  the  new  home  may  have  been 
equal  reasons  for  not  stopping  over  military  ac- 
counts in  town. 

The  new  year  brought  sorrow  and  new 
responsibilities  in  the  death  of  Cornelia  Van 
Cortlandt,  the  mother,  who  had  remained 
with  her  daughter,  now  Mrs.  Cochrane,  in  the 
family  mansion.  Death  among  the  Dutch 
involved  much  besides  mourning.  “ Bring 
me  a Barrel  of  Cutt  Tobacco,  some  long 
Pipes,  I am  out  also  6 silver  Tankards. 
Bottles,  Glasses,  Decanters,  we  have  enough. 
You  must  bring  Cinnamon  & Burnt  wine, 
for  we  have  none,”  writes  Will  Livingston  in 
1756  on  the  death  of  his  mother.  Among 


76 


THE  MISTRESS  OF  THE  MANSION 


the  Schuyler  papers  of  the  elder  branch  is  the 
following  bill  headed 

“Funeral  Feb  27th  1763”. 


Tobacco  2, 

Fonda  for  Pipes  , 14s. 
2 casks  wine  69  gal  11, 

12  yds  Cloatk  6. 

2 barrels  strong  beer  3. 

To  spice  from  Dr  Stringer 

To  the  porters  2s. 

12  yds  Bombazine  5,  17s. 
2/  Tammise  1, 

1 Barcelona  handkerchief  10s. 

2 pr  black  chamois  Gloves 
6 yds  crape. 

5 ells  Black  Shalloon. 


Paid  Mr.  Benson  his  fee  for  opinion  on  will  £9. 

Many  of  the  houses  had  a room  set  apart 
called  the  “dead  room.”  Here  the  body  lay 
in  state,  for  a funeral  was  an  occasion.  The 
women  did  not  attend,  but  remained  in  an 
upper  room.  English  fashion  apparently  had 
left  Dutch  customs  untouched  in  this  respect. 
Some  years  later  Tench  Tilghman  describes 
a funeral  among  the  other  diversions  in  which 
he  participated  at  Albany : — 

“This  morning”  he  writes,  “I  attended  the 
funeral  of  old  Mr.  Doer  the  father  of  Mr.  Commis- 
sioner Doer.  This  was  something  in  a stile  new 
77 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


to  me.  The  Corpse  was  carried  to  the  Grove  and 
interred  with  out  any  funeral  Ceremony,  the  Clergy 
attended.  We  then  returned  to  the  home  of  the 
Deceased  where  we  found  many  tables  set  out  with 
Bottles,  cool  Tankards,  Caudles,  Pipes  & Tobacco. 
The  Company  sat  themselves  down  and  lighted 
their  Pipes  and  handed  the  Bottles  & Tankards 
pretty  briskly.  Some  of  them  I think  rather  too 
much  so.  I fancy  the  under  takers  had  borrowed 
all  the  silver  plate  of  the  Neighborhood.  Tankards 
and  Candle  Sticks  were  all  silver  plated.” 

There  were  special  cakes  served  on  such 
occasions.  Sanders  Lansing  was  celebrated 
for  her  “dead  cakes,”  bearing  the  monogram 
of  the  dead.  Mourning  rings  were  frequently 
distributed,  and  another  souvenir  known  as 
monkey  spoons,  the  figure  of  an  ape  adorning 
the  handle.  There  are  stories  of  unseemly 
drinking  at  the  Albany  funerals,  and  this  with 
the  expense  led  to  a movement  to  curtail  the 
extravagance  of  funerals.  This,  however, 
was  at  a much  later  date. 

Mrs.  Cornelia  Schuyler  left  a large  property 
in  her  own  right.  In  the  division  of  the  Van 
Cortlandt  manor  estate  her  share  was  over 
seven  thousand  acres,  estimated  at  that  time 
worth  £1018.  To  this  she  added  by  transac- 
tions in  land  on  her  own  account. 


78 


VI 


THE  CHATELAINE  OF  SARATOGA 

The  Colonists  of  the  Dutch  Province,  as  the 
English  Tories,  believed  that  the  source  of 
political  power  lay  in  the  land.  To  acquire 
acres  was  the  ambition  of  every  young  Pro- 
vincial. The  greatest  of  the  landowners  were 
the  ancestors  of  Catherine  Schuyler.  The 
manor  of  Van  Rensselaerwyck  was  twenty- 
four  miles  square.  The  original  grants  con- 
ferred the  land  “together  with  the  produce, 
superficies,  minerals,  rivers  and  fountains 
thereof,  with  high,  low  and  middle  jurisdic- 
tion, hunting,  fishing,  fowling,  milling.”  This 
jurisdiction,  “high,  low,  middle,”  gave  the 
right  of  appointing  officers  and  magistrates. 
The  Patroon,  as  he  was  called,  received  the 
oath  of  allegiance  from  his  tenants,  adminis- 
tered justice,  and  punished  crime.  He  re- 
ceived the  tenth  of  the  increase  of  wood,  field, 
and  stream,  like  a feudal  lord.  Her  own 
inheritance  through  her  father,  a younger  son, 
was  considerable.  Philip  Schuyler  inherited 

79 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


landed  property  from  his  father,  from  his 
uncle  Philip,  who  was  murdered  on  his  estate 
at  Saratoga,  and  from  his  mother.  To  his 
inheritance  he  was  adding  new  purchases  of 
land,  now  with  General  Bradstreet  and  now 
with  the  new  Colonial  governor,  Sir  Henry 
Moore,  a young  man  of  his  own  years,  of  gay, 
lovable  temperament,  and  an  intimate  friend. 

The  English  sojourn  had  been  prolific  in 
new  ideas.  While  there  on  the  King’s  busi- 
ness he  had  made  the  acquaintance  of  various 
members  of  the  Society  of  Arts,  and  had 
informed  himself  on  different  agricultural 
matters,  evidently  with  a view  of  carrying  out 
a project  that  had  been  maturing  in  his  mind. 
“My  hobby,”  he  wrote  to  John  Jay  some 
years  after,  “ has  always  been  a country  home 
life.  I dismounted  with  reluctance,  and 
now  saddle  him  again  with  a considerable 
degree  of  satisfaction,  and  hope  to  canter  him 
gently  on  to  the  end  of  the  journey  of  life.” 
This  hobby,  which  the  Revolution  had  caused 
him  to  dismount,  was  undertaken  in  1783  on 
the  property  at  Saratoga  bequeathed  by  the 
murdered  uncle.  It  was  only  thirty  miles 
from  Albany,  within  easy  reach  of  the  hand- 
some town  house  in  which  the  mother  and  her 
young  family  were  now  installed. 

Another  little  girl  had  been  added  to  the 
80 


THE  CHATELAINE  OF  SARATOGA 


household,  and  had  welcomed  her  father’s  re- 
turn from  England.  She  was  called  after  her 
grandmother,  Cornelia.  This  period  of  hope  and 
prosperity  was  the  most  peaceful  of  Catherine 
Schuyler’s  life.  For  the  first  time  she  had 
the  continued  companionship  of  her  husband 
without  realizing  that  it  was  to  be  compara- 
tively brief.  An  interesting  little  family  was 
springing  np  about  her.  There  was  no  longer 
fear  of  the  midnight  Indian  nor  of  the  mid- 
day French.  The  sorrowful  scenes  brought 
alike  by  victory  and  defeat  no  longer  defaced 
the  day.  She  had,  moreover,  new  opportuni- 
ties for  the  triumphs  of  matron  and  Dutch 
housewife,  which  belonged  to  the  traditions 
of  the  women  of  her  class.  In  the  project  of 
her  husband  she  had  equal  share.  This  share 
she  performed,  as  the  story  of  her  life  reveals. 
It  was  a difficult  part.  “ This  new  settlement 
was  an  asylum  for  every  one  who  wanted  bread 
and  a home,  ” writes  a contemporary.  “ From 
the  variety  of  employments  regularly  dis- 
tributed, every  artisan  found  here  lodging 
and  occupation;  some  hundreds  of  people  are 
employed  at  once.  Those  who  in  Winter 
engaged  at  the  sawmills,  were  in  summer 
equally  engaged  in  the  large  and  productive 
fishery.  The  artisans  got  lodging  and  firing 
at  first  for  two  or  three  years,  besides  being 
6 81 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


very  well  paid  for  every  thing  they  did.  Flax 
was  raised  and  dressed,  and  finally  spun  and 
made  into  linen  there ; and  as  artisans  were 
very  scarce  in  the  country,  every  one  sent 
linen  to  weave  and  flax  to  raise  in  the  Colonel’s 
colony.  ” 

For  all  these  purposes  there  were  mills  to 
raise,  tenant  houses  to  put  up,  and  sheds  to 
build.  The  boat  and  bridge  builders  that  had 
been  got  together  for  the  campaigns  against 
Ticonderoga  and  Oswego  were  now  employed  in 
putting  up  the  buildings  for  the  extensive  op- 
erations contemplated.  The  Seven  Years’  War 
was  scarcely  concluded  by  the  peace  of  Paris, 
when  the  peaceful  arts  immediately  engaged  the 
men  who  had  laid  down  their  arms.  These  put 
up  the  family  residence  on  the  site  at  Sara- 
toga of  the  old  house  destroyed  by  fire  in  the 
Indian  raid  that  had  massacred  its  owner. 
This  was  a long  two-storied  house  with  a row 
of  imposing  pillars  in  front  extending  its 
entire  length  from  ground  to  roof.  The 
architecture  was  very  much  like  that  of  Mount 
Yernon,  which  the  organization  of  its  home 
life  greatly  resembled.  This  house  stood  at 
the  head  of  a sloping  lawn,  through  which 
the  romantic  Fish  Kill  made  a circular  sweep 
at  the  foot,  breaking  on  the  way  into  two 
waterfalls  and  tiny  wooded  islands  in  the 
82 


THE  CHATELAINE  OF  SARATOGA 


most  approved  manner  of  landscape  garden- 
ing. In  the  rear  was  the  master’s  office,  where 
he  met  his  tenants  and  mechanics  about  the 
affairs  of  the  Colony.  The  cook  houses  were 
detached  in  Southern  fashion;  still  further 
on  was  the  laundry,  long  presided  over  by  an 
ancestral  servant,  and  mistress  of  her  own 
domain.  Here  also  were  the  vegetable  gardens 
laid  out  by  the  English  gardeners.  Each  bed 
was  bordered  with  wide  parterres  of  flowers 
between  paths  wide  enough  to  allow  for  the 
carts.  The  grounds  extended  to  the  brink  of 
the  flats  extending  for  three  miles  along  the 
Hudson,  whose  overflow  had  fertilized  it 
beyond  the  memory  of  man.  Here  were  the 
historic  fields  of  grain  that  enriched  the 
settlement.  In  later  years  General  Schuyler’s 
long-cherished  dream  of  a canal  connecting 
tide-water  with  the  upper  lakes  was  realized. 
This  was  carried  through  the  grounds  in  the 
rear  of  the  house,  and  the  approach  of  the 
weekly  canal  packet  tooting  merrily,  with  flags 
flying  to  salute  the  house,  was  the  delight  of 
grandchildren  and  pickaninnies. 

The  house  was  designed  for  hospitalities. 
In  the  centre  was  a great  hall,  where  stood  a 
gigantic  stove.  In  each  room  was  a wide- 
mouthed fireplace,  to  receive  the  big  logs  cut 
and  stored  for  the  family  use.  To  the  ministry 

83 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


of  these  fires  for  the  cool  mornings  and  even- 
ings of  autumn  and  spring  negroes  were 
detailed  at  stated  hours,  making  the  house 
sparkle  with  dancing  flames.  It  was  furnished 
according  to  the  generous  ideas  of  the  time,  in 
which  mahogany,  Turkey  carpets,  and  chintz- 
curtained  four  posters  were  not  more  impor- 
tant than  the  wide-mouthed  fireplace  of  the 
kitchen,  with  its  tin  oven,  where  a small 
darkey  watched  the  spit,  and  its  able  aid,  the 
Dutch  oven,  in  which  on  special  occasions 
could  be  drawn  those  great  drafts  of  bread, 
cakes,  and  pies  that  made  large  and  prompt 
hospitality  possible.  There  were  provisions 
for  “killing  time,”  that  yearly  festival  when 
the  meat  were  to  be  cured  for  the  year’s  eat- 
ing, for  soap  making,  for  candle-dipping,  for 
making  cider,  for  spinning,  weaving,  dyeing. 

While  the  husband  brought  those  soldierly 
qualities  of  method  and  discipline  to  bear  on 
his  little  colony,  his  wife  had  her  no  less 
onerous  duties  as  chatelaine.  He  personally 
superintended  the  launching  of  rafts,  the 
loading  of  the  fleet  of  little  sloops  that  car- 
ried his  grain  and  produce  to  New  York, 
attended  to  the  packing  and  salting  of  fish, 
filled  orders  for  pine  barrels,  the  getting  out 
of  lumber,  the  grinding  of  grain,  correspond- 
ing at  the  same  time  with  his  London  friend, 

84 


THE  CHATELAINE  OF  SARATOGA 


Professor  Brand,  as  to  the  best  manner  of 
pulling  out  stumps,  the  hackling  of  flax, 
reading  a paper  before  the  Society  for  the 
Promotion  of  the  Arts  in  New  York  on  flax 
culture,  and  urging  the  cultivation  of  silk- 
worms. She  ruled  over  a numerous  house- 
hold, and  observed  the  duties  of  the  lady  of 
the  manor  toward  the  wives  and  families  of 
the  farmers  and  mechanics  on  the  place.  It 
was  she  who  overlooked  the  preservation  of 
the  fruits,  the  gathering  in  and  storing  of  the 
winter  vegetables,  the  putting  away  of  the 
meats,  and  all  those  matters  that  looked 
toward  the  comfort  of  the  family  and  depend- 
ants, and  making  ready  for  that  exercise  of 
hospitality  which  then  and  thereafter  knew  no 
bounds. 

The  fate  of  this  estate  of  Saratoga  is 
inseparably  woven  with  one  of  the  most  inter- 
esting chapters  of  the  thrilling  story  of 
American  independence.  But  before  those 
eventful  days  there  were  a few  happy  years  in 
which  the  peaceful  arts  flourished.  The  fields 
responded  to  the  tilling,  and  the  trees  of  the 
virgin  forest  lay  choking  the  streams  as  logs, 
to  be  sent  to  the  mouth  of  the  Hudson  and 
thence  to  Bermuda  and  the  Indies.  “It  is 
inconceivable  what  dexterity,  address,  and 
deep  policy  were  exhibited  in  the  management 

85 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


of  the  new  settlement;  the  growth  of  which 
was  beyond  belief.  Every  mechanic  ended  in 
being  a farmer ; and  new  recruits  of  artisans 
chiefly  supplied  their  place,  nourished  with 
the  golden  dews  which  the  sagacious  pro- 
prietor could  so  easily  command,”  writes  at 
the  time  an  observer  of  the  colony  building 
at  Saratoga.  There  is  nothing  that  goes  to 
the  upbuilding  of  a state  more  attractive  to 
the  mind  than  this  young  couple,  under  thirty, 
with  their  children  still  about  their  knees,  in 
the  first  breathing  spell  after  separation  and 
perils  by  land  and  by  sea,  mutually  taking 
part  in  such  an  enterprise.  In  the  language 
of  the  day  it  was  called  “ a nursery  of  the 
arts.”  This  was  something  more  than  a 
high-flown  phrase.  It  indicates  a larger 
spirit  than  that  prompted  by  the  balance  in 
the  ledger.  Much  of  the  work  was  experi- 
mental, and  could  have  only  been  attempted 
by  people  so  happily  placed.  There  was  no 
prevision  in  the  effort  to  make  the  Colonies 
self-sufficient ; but  in  other  directions  as  well 
as  at  Saratoga  mental  stimulus  and  conscious 
pride  in  the  country  took  this  form. 

In  the  same  year  their  first  living  son  and 
heir  was  born.  In  the  family  Bible  is  recorded 
“1763,  John  Bradstreet  Born  July  20th  Do 
with  him  according  to  thy  will  0 Lord.  Be 
86 


THE  CHATELAINE  OF  SARATOGA 


with  him  living  or  dying.”  This  was  the 
third  son  named  John,  the  others  dying  at 
birth,  and  in  accordance  with  the  Dutch  cus- 
tom he  was  named  after  his  grandfather,  to 
which  was  added  Bradstreet,  the  name  of  the 
family  friend.  Although  Philip  Schuyler  had 
relinquished  the  law  of  primogeniture  in  his 
own  case,  he  still  respected  it.  Twenty-one 
years  after,  the  Saratoga  estate  was  made  over 
to  this  son  on  coming  of  age.  It  was  regarded 
as  a landed  estate,  and  as  such  for  the  carry- 
ing down  the  family  name  and  importance. 
The  document,  which  is  long  and  unfolds 
decorously  according  to  the  methodical,  logi- 
cal mind  of  the  writer,  reflects  in  an  interest- 
ing manner  the  standard  of  morals  and 
manners,  the  parental  indulgence  and  dis- 
cipline of  the  time.  It  is  filled  with  maxims 
of  conduct,  as  well  as  the  most  clearly  defined 
and  minute  directions  for  carrying  on  the 
estate. 

It  begins  with  a certain  note  of  pathos : “ I 
resign  to  your  care  and  for  your  sole  emolu- 
ment a place  on  which  for  a Series  of  years  I 
have  bestowed  much  of  my  care  & attention, 
and  I confess  I should  part  from  it  with  many 
a severe  pang  did  I not  resign  it  to  my  child.” 
Concerning  the  virtues  of  the  upright  citizen 
he  adds : “ Good  faith  and  a punctual  dis- 
87 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


charge  of  Social  Duties  contains  certain 
Results  and  an  internal  Satisfaction  that  no 
temporal  Calamities  can  ever  deprive  you  of.” 
The  discharge  of  “social  duties”  in  those 
days  found  a place  among  the  higher  virtues, 
such  as  good  faith.  “Be  indulgent,”  he  con- 
tinues, “my  child,  to  your  inferiors,  affable 
and  courteous  to  your  equals,  respectful  not 
cringing  to  your  Superiors,  whether  they  are 
so  by  superior  Mental  abilities  or  those 
Necessary  distinctions  which  Society  has 
established.”  There  is  no  clearer  formula- 
tion of  the  views  held  by  the  governing  class 
in  the  Colonies  than  these.  They  were  not 
merely  held  but  practised.  Later  Montgomery 
writes : “ Why  cannot  we  have  gentlemen 
for  officers  ? ” Catherine  Schuyler’s  father, 
Colonel  John  Yan  Rensselaer,  is  greatly  dis- 
tressed because  an  innkeeper  has  been  made  a 
colonel.  Grayson  gives  a graphic  account  of 
General  Schuyler’s  treatment  of  a Yankee 
officer  at  Ticonderoga,  whose  entrance  into 
the  room  did  not  comport  with  the  soldierly 
standards  of  the  commander.  The  never 
silent  ill-feeling  between  the  New  York  and 
New  England  troops  during  the  Revolution 
was  due  to  the  different  degrees  in  which  all 
men  were  held  to  be  free  and  equal  in  the 
English  and  Dutch  Provinces.  The  preamble 


THE  CHATELAINE  OF  SARATOGA 


to  the  Declaration  of  Independence  had  but 
vague  meaning  for  a long  time  to  many  of  the 
Federalists.  At  the  same  time  the  unfailing 
courtesy  that  distinguished  General  Schuyler, 
and  makes  passages  of  the  Revolution  read 
like  tales  of  chivalry,  could  have  scarcely 
permitted  him  to  echo  that  other  Federalist 
lament  to  Surgeon-General  Cochrane  that  the 
sad  days  had  come  when  a Federalist  could 
not  knock  a Democrat  down  without  getting 
arrested. 

What  concerns  us  more  nearly  is  the  tribute 
to  his  wife,  which  mingles  with  the  sternness 
of  one  of  the  most  affectionate  of  fathers : “ I 
must  not  omit  to  inform  you  that  the  Income 
of  all  my  Estate,  except  what  your  Brothers 
& Sisters  actually  occupy  at  my  decease  will 
be  enjoyed  by  your  dear  Mama.  She  merits 
this  attention  in  a most  eminent  degree  and 
I shall  give  her  a Power  to  change  my  dispo- 
sition of  that  part  of  the  Estate,  the  Income 
of  which  she  will  enjoy  should  unhappily  the 
Conduct  of  my  Children  be  such  as  to  render 
it  necessary,  but  I trust  they  will  be  so  deeply 
impressed  with  a Sense  of  the  Infinite  obliga- 
tions they  are  under  to  her  as  not  to  give  her 
a moments  uneasiness.”  This  power  to 
change  the  disposition  of  his  estate  must 
be  regarded  as  significant  at  a time  when 

89 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


the  laws  of  inheritance  took  comparatively 
small  account  of  wives  except  as  mothers  of 
heirs.  It  is  an  indication  rarely  found  in  the 
form  of  words  of  the  part  that  Catherine 
Schuyler  took  in  the  affairs  of  her  husband. 
When  he  was  absent  she  was  his  representa- 
tive, acting  not  upon  orders  but  according  to 
her  judgment.  Of  this  there  was  frequent 
occasion  in  the  vicissitudes  which  befell  the 
little  community  when  the  days  grew  darker. 
In  the  gossipy  reminiscences  of  the  Revolu- 
tion we  are  told  of  the  dependence  placed  by 
these  on  the  news  bringing  comfort  or  dismay 
received  at  the  great  house,  where  the  settlers 
gathered  to  listen  to  letters  and  receive  advice 
and  encouragement.  There  were  fathers  whose 
sons  were  in  the  army;  wives  whose  husbands 
were  carrying  muskets ; children  who  were 
fatherless,  and  all  leaning  on  and  trusting  in 
the  wife  and  the  mother  who  was  herself  alone 
and  with  a group  of  children  at  her  skirts. 
Among  the  Revolutionary  correspondence  of 
the  descendants  of  the  Saratoga  estate  there  is 
evidence  of  this  in  the  appeal  of  George 
Smyth : — 

“Madame,”  he  begins,  “I  wrote  to  Philip 
P.  Lansingli  a Saratoga  by  a Taylor  who  was  a 
Countryman  of  mine  reccommending  him  to  work, 
the  man  was  taken  up  and  put  in  Geol  as  an  Enemy 
90 


THE  CHATELAINE  OF  SARATOGA 


& I was  obliged  to  give  Bail.  Tbe  Court  coming 
on  I was  discharged.  This  Day  it  was  ordered  by 
Dr  Stringer,  Jerry  Ranslaer  and  Mr  Beekman  that 
I should  be  confined,  which  I have  avoided  till  I 
beseech  your  influence  with  Jerry  [and]  Dr  Stringer 
not  to  put  me  in  Prison  as  my  Weakly  Constitution 
is  not  fit  to  Bear  Such  I have  committed  nothing 
that  deserves  imprisonment  and  if  they  are  in 
doubt  of  me  I shall  give  them  Security.  The 
Gen1  w'as  once  my  friend,  I hope  Madame  you  will 
be  mine  in  this  and  serve  me  again.  Your 
“ most  obdt  servt. 

“ George  Smyth.” 


si 


VII 


VISITING  AND  RECEIVING  VISITS 

At  Saratoga,  the  family  country  seat,  the 
summer  of  1776  opened  gayly,  notwithstanding 
“ all  the  talk  was  of  tyranny  and  taxes,  ” and 
mutterings  of  discontent  filled  the  air.  The 
new  English  Governor  had  arrived,  and  so 
soon  made  it  clear  that  he  was  willing  that 
the  venerable  Cadwalader  Colden  as  Lieuten- 
ant-Governor should  do  the  work  and  enjoy 
the  power  while  he  amused  himself.  A de- 
mure little  critic,  Anne  McVickar,  has  left 
this  sketch  of  Sir  Harry : — 

“Sir  Harry  had  never  a thought  of  business  in 
his  life;  he  was  honorable  as  far  as  a man  could  he 
so,  who  always  spent  more  than  he  had;  he  was 
however  gay,  good  natured,  well  bred,  affable, 
courteous  in  a very  high  degree,  and  if  the  business 
of  the  governor  was  merely  to  keep  the  governed 
in  a good  humor,  no  one  was  titter  for  the  office 
than  he,  the  more  so  that  he  had  sense  enough  to 
know  two  things  of  importance  to  be  known;  one 
was  that  a person  of  tried  wisdom  and  experience 
92 


VISITING  AND  RECEIVING  VISITS 


•was  fitter  to  transact  the  business  of  the  province 
than  any  dependant  of  his  own;  the  other  that  he 
was  unfit  to  manage  it  himself.  The  Government 
house  was  the  scene  of  frequent  festivities  and 
weekly  concerts,  Sir  Henry  being  very  musical 
and  Lady  Moore  peculiarly  fitted  for  doing  the 
honors  of  a drawing  room  or  entertainment.  They 
were  too  much  hurried  to  find  time  for  particular 
friendships,  and  too  well  bred  and  good  natured  to 
make  invidious  distinctions,  so  that  without  gain- 
ing either  very  much  of  esteem  or  affection  they 
pleased  every  one  in  the  circle  around  them;  and 
this  general  civility  of  theirs  in  the  storm  about  to 
arise  around  them  had  its  use.” 

With  the  Schuylers,  who  were  about  the  same 
age,  Sir  Henry  and  Lady  Moore  did  form  an 
agreeable  friendship.  Early  in  the  summer  Sir 
Henry,  Lady  Moore  and  their  daughter  Henri- 
etta visited  Saratoga,  where  the  ladies  remained 
while  the  two  men  were  off  to  Johnson  Hall, 
visiting  Sir  William,  looking  after  Indian  af- 
fairs, and  jointly  buying  land  of  the  Mohawks. 
Ladies  were  rarely  received  at  Johnson  Hall 
owing  to  its  peculiarly  organized  menage,  which 
added  greatly  to  the  gossip  of  the  Province. 
Sir  William’s  honest  Dutch  wife  had  left  two 
daughters,  who  were  brought  up  in  strict  seclu- 
sion in  one  corner  of  the  house  under  the  care 
of  an  officer’s  widow. 


93 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


“ In  the  morning  ” we  are  told,  “ they  rose  early, 
read  their  prayer  book,  I believe,  but  certainly  their 
Bible,  fed  their  birds,  tended  their  flowers,  and 
breakfasted;  then  were  employed  some  hours  with 
unwearied  perseverance  at  fine  needle  work,  for  the 
ornamental  parts  of  dress  which  were  the  fashion  of 
the  day  without  knowing  to  what  use  they  were  to 
be  put  as  they  never  wore  them ; and  had  not  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  ever  seen  a lady,  excepting  each  other 
and  their  governess;  they  then  read  as  long  as  they 
chose  the  voluminous  romances  of  the  last  century; 
of  which  their  friend  had  a large  collection,  or 
Bollin’s  ancient  History,  the  only  books  they  had 
ever  seen;  after  dinner  they  regularly  in  summer 
took  a long  walk,  or  an  excursion  in  a sledge  in 
winter  with  their  friend;  and  then  returned  and 
resumed  their  wonted  occupations,  with  the  sole 
variation  of  a stroll  in  the  garden  in  the  summer, 
and  a game  at  chess  or  shuttlecock  in  winter. 
Their  dress  was  to  the  full  as  simple  and  uniform 
as  everything  else ; they  wore  wrappers  of  the  finest 
chintz  and  green  silk  petticoats  and  this  the  whole 
year  round  without  variation.  Their  hair  which 
was  long  and  beautiful  was  tied  behind  by  a simple 
ribbon;  a large  calash  shaded  each  from  the  sun, 
and  in  Winter  they  had  long  scarlet  mantles  that 
covered  them  from  head  to  foot.” 

The  occasion  of  this  seclusion  was  the  fact 
that  the  mistress  of  Johnson  Hall  was  Molly 
Brant,  the  sister  of  Joseph  Brant,  the  greatest 

94 


VISITING  AND  RECEIVING  VISITS 


of  Indian  dandies.  With  her  Sir  William  had 
fallen  deeply  and  romantically  in  love.  Lady 
Susan  O’Brien,  the  sister  of  Lady  Harriet 
Ackland,  who,  having  married  an  actor,  was 
sent  to  this  country  by  her  family,  visited 
Johnson  Hall,  and  has  recorded  her  opinion 
that  “Molly  B.  is  a well-bred  pleasant  lady.” 
Notwithstanding  this  expert  opinion  the  ladies 
of  the  Province  did  not  visit  Johnson  Hall,  and 
the  circumstances  were  doubtless  fully  ex- 
plained to  Lady  Moore  by  her  hostess  during 
the  pleasant  days  of  their  stay  together. 
Catherine  Schuyler  was  neither  gay  nor 
fashionable  in  the  English  manner,  or  even 
in  that  of  the  New  York  court  circle,  but  the 
manorial  families  felt  themselves  the  equals 
of  the  English  gentry,  and  the  two  ladies 
evidently  enjoyed  their  long  summer  days’ 
companionship,  since  the  intimacy  was  con- 
tinued. There  was  another  visitor  that  sum- 
mer, Miss  Kitty  Watts,  who  subsequently 
became  the  wife  of  Sir  John  Johnson,  Sir 
William’s  heir.  She  possessed  much  beauty, 
we  are  told,  as  well  as  understanding  and 
vivacity.  “Her  playful  humor  exhilerated 
the  whole  household.”  The  next  time  they 
were  to  meet  was  under  terms  no  less  hos- 
pitable on  the  part  of  the  Schuylers,  but  more 
unwillingly  on  the  part  of  Lady  Kitty,  who 

95 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


was  under  a very  unruly  parole,  and  for  whose 
safekeeping  General  Schuyler  was  responsible. 
It  was  a pretty  quarrel,  and  in  it  the  lady 
was  quite  capable  of  holding  her  own. 

There  were  the  usual  summer  visits  from 
relatives  in  New  York,  where  there  were  hosts 
of  Van  Cortlandts,  Livingstons,  Yan  Rens- 
selaers,  and  New  Jersey  Schuylers.  William 
Smith  was  up  in  June,  shaking  off  the  fever. 
This  was  after  “ Granny  Livingston  flew  to 
the  stars,”  whose  flight  he  relates;  but 
apparently  his  illness  was  not  the  result  of 
grief.  There  is  talk  about  politics,  promising 
if  Phil  will  only  remain  one  more  term  in  the 
Assembly,  to  leave  him  afterward  to  “his 
wolves,  foxes,  snow  (a  small  vessel),  mills, 
fish,  & lands  at  Saratoga.”  Miss  Smith  also 
makes  a visit  and  succeeds  in  shaking  off 
“the  intermittent.”  Apparently  the  neigh- 
boring springs,  whose  virtues  were  then  well 
known,  assisted  in  making  Saratoga  a popular 
place  of  sojourn.  The  trip  up  the  river  by 
sloop  in  summer  was  one  of  the  pleasures  of 
the  town.  These  packets  were  very  com- 
fortable. Brissot  de  Warvillc  speaks  of  fif- 
teen berths  kept  clean,  and  a very  good  table. 
The  journey  varied  from  three  to  five  days, 
according  to  wind  and  tide.  Burr  writes  of 
being  detained  three  days  under  the  lee  of 

96 


VISITING  AND  RECEIVING  VISITS 


West  Point  by  contrary  winds.  The  beauty 
of  the  Hudson  was  as  fully  appreciated  at 
that  time  as  it  ever  has  been  since.  Mrs. 
Anne  Grant  gives  the  following  vivacious 
account  of  her  last  trip:  — 

“My  voyage  down  the  river,  which  by  contrary 
winds  was  protracted  to  a whole  week,  would  have 
been  very  pleasant  could  anything  have  pleased  me. 
I was  at  least  soothed  by  the  extreme  beauty  of 
many  scenes  on  the  bank  of  this  fine  stream  I was 
fated  never  more  to  behold.  Nothing  could  exceed 
the  soft  verdure  that  met  the  eye  on  every  side  as 
we  approached  New  York;  it  was  the  beginning  of 
May,  the  great  orchards  which  were  on  every  side 
were  in  bloom,  and  the  wood  of  poplars  beyond 
them  had  their  sprouting  foliage  tinged  with  a 
lighter  shade  of  fresher  green.  Staten  Island  rose 
graceful  from  the  sea  in  which  it  seemed  to  float, 
and  was  so  covered  with  innumerable  trees  in  full 
blossom  that  it  looked  like  some  enchanted  forest.” 

There  was  much  human  commerce  on  these 
trips,  like  that  now  in  an  ocean  crossing  or 
down  the  long  stretch  of  the  Mississippi. 
Friendships  were  made  and  cemented,  and 
pleasant  acquaintances  formed  within  the  nar- 
row confines  of  the  Albany  sloops.  The  for- 
eign visitors  of  the  time  have  invariably  much 
to  say  of  this  journey,  both  of  the  scenery 
and  of  the  passengers. 

7 97 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


In  the  autumn  Sir  Henry  Moore  and  his 
wife  returned  to  Saratoga  for  a brief  visit  to 
the  Schuylers.  With  them  was  Sir  Guy 
Carleton,  on  the  way  to  inspect  the  forts  and 
troops  at  Ticonderoga  and  the  North.  Again 
the  gentlemen  were  off  together  while  their 
wives  kept  one  another  company  at  the  hos- 
pitable country  seat.  It  was  the  time  of  the 
ingathering  of  the  fruits  and  the  vegetables. 
So  frugal  a mistress  as  Catherine  Schuyler 
was  not  likely  to  allow  anything  to  interpose 
in  the  way  of  these  important  duties.  It  is 
a pleasant  picture,  that  of  the  lively,  amiable 
Lady  Moore  and  Catherine  Schuyler,  “quiet, 
unobtrusive,  kindly,”  as  she  has  been  de- 
scribed, sauntering  about  the  wide  garden 
paths,  and  under  the  trees  of  the  orchard, 
where  “Cuff  and  John,  Peter  and  Bett,” 
whom  General  Schuyler  retained  for  his  own 
use  when  he  turned  over  Saratoga  to  his  heir, 
are  preparing  the  winter  stoi'es.  There  were 
drives  in  the  afternoon  to  the  Hudson,  taking 
on  the  full  glory  of  its  autumnal  foliage,  a 
sight  new  to  the  English  visitors,  and  over 
to  those  curious  mineral  springs,  which  after- 
ward Washington  desired  to  make  the  property 
of  the  country.  In  the  evening  the  first  chill 
of  the  season  sent  them  indoors,  where  the 
house  was  aglow  with  the  early  fall  fires. 

98 


VISITING  AND  RECEIVING  VISITS 


There  was,  however,  one  unpleasant  inter- 
ruption to  this  visit.  This  was  the  tenant 
riots  on  the  Tan  Rensselaer  manor,  including 
that  part  occupied  by  Colonel  John,  Cathe- 
rine Schuyler’s  father.  There  were  several 
skirmishes  with  the  sheriffs’  posse,  and  finally 
a company  of  regulars  was  sent  by  General 
Gage  to  the  scene  of  action.  In  one  of  these 
fights  Cornelius  Ten  Broek,  a relative  of 
Abraham  Ten  Broek,  our  former  friend 
“Brom,”  was  killed.  The  leader  of  the 
rioters,  named  Pendergast,  was  at  length 
taken,  and  having  been  tried  for  treason  by 
the  chief  justice,  was  sentenced  to  be  executed, 
and  sixty  of  his  followers  to  be  “ fined  impris- 
oned and  pilloried.  ” The  excitement  was 
great.  Albany  was  full  of  important  visitors 
from  New  York  called  thither  by  the  matter. 
James  Livingston,  the  sheriff,  advertises 
that  “any  person  inclined  to  assist  at  the 
execution  of  Pendergast  will  meet  with  good 
reward,  and  shall  be  so  disguised  so  as  not 
to  be  known,  and  secured  from  insults.  ” 
This  barbarous  sentence,  however,  was  not 
carried  out.  Sir  Henry  Moore  reprieved 
Pendergast,  awaiting  the  pleasure  of  the  King, 
and  Lady  Moore  did  herself  the  pleasure  of 
paying  the  debts  of  all  the  others  confined  for 
less  than  thirty  pounds.  As  these  offences 

99 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


were  against  the  relatives  of  their  hosts,  we 
may  conclude  that  the  gentler  spirits  of  the 
ladies  doubtless  had  their  way,  and  the 
clemency  was  not  without  the  amiable  co- 
operation of  the  hosts. 

When  the  military  inspection  was  over  the 
Schuylers,  with  their  eldest  daughter  Angelica, 
accompanied  Sir  Henry  and  Lady  Moore  back 
to  New  York,  and  visited  them  at  Government 
House.  The  Court  circle  was  very  gay  under 
the  fashionable  leadership  of  Sir  Henry  Moore. 
Maunsell,  an  English  officei’,  writes  to  Colonel 
Gates,  then  in  England,  and  gives  an  amusing 
sketch  of  the  contests  between  Lady  Moore 
and  Mrs.  Gage  as  to  whether  the  wife  of  the 
Colonial  Governor  or  the  wife  of  the  Com- 
mander of  the  Royal  troops  should  take  pre- 
cedence. Their  places  even,  it  is  seen,  was 
contested  by  a certain  Mrs.  Roberts,  of  whom 
we  know  no  more  than  her  ambition. 

“ The  devil’s  to  pay,”  writes  this  military  gos- 
sip, taking  breath  from  graver  affairs,  “among 
the  ladies  for  the  precedency.  Roberts  would 
go  to  England  were  it  not  that  the  Queen  and 
two  or  three  more  would  rank  her.”  There 
was  also  the  family  of  “Old  Dry  Goods,”  as 
Governor  Boone  calls  Lord  Stirling,  notwith- 
standing his  rank  stanchly  asserted  in  the 
teeth  of  the  Heralds’  College,  at  the  head  of 
100 


VISITING  AND  RECEIVING  VISITS 


the  mercantile  aristocracy,  whose  importance 
was  becoming  so  marked  that  the  writer  con- 
cludes that  “ if  he  [Lord  Stirling]  conducts 
his  affairs  so  smoothly  will  get  the  Govern- 
ment in  his  own  hands.  ” 

None  of  these  intrigues  for  place  affected 
Jane  Colden,  notwithstanding  her  father  was 
Lieutenant-Governor,  and  still  held  the  actual 
power  in  his  trembling  hands.  Jane,  as 
her  father,  was  devoted  to  science  and  her 
studies,  the  blue  stocking  of  her  day.  She 
was  an  accomplished  botanist,  a correspondent 
of  many  learned  societies,  and  Linnasus  names 
for  her  a genus  Coldenella. 

In  these  social  controversies  Catherine  Schuy- 
ler had  no  more  interest  than  Jane  Colden. 
The  landed  proprietors  held  their  own  place ; 
this  was  freely  recognized  by  the  English  Court 
contingent,  even  though  there  might  be  some 
private  scorn  of  the  “ Provincial.”  Not  a few 
of  these  captured  the  hearts  of  the  “ Red  Coats,” 
as  the  dashing  young  officers  were  called.  Miss 
Watts,  the  sister  of  Lady  John  Johnson,  became 
the  wife  of  Captain  Archibald  Kennedy,  after- 
ward the  second  Earl  of  Cassilis,  whose  first 
wife  was  Gertrude  Schuyler  of  New  Jersey  ; Sir 
William  Draper  married  Susanna  De  Lancy. 

These  two  families  then  lived  opposite  one 
another  at  the  foot  of  Broadway.  It  was  an 
101 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


aristocratic  neighborhood.  Fort  George  stood 
at  the  foot  of  Whitehall  Street,  and  extended 
to  Pier  1,  North  River,  under  our  present 
nomenclature.  The  centre  of  fashion  was  of 
course  Government  House,  in  one  corner  of 
the  fort,  where  the  Royal  representative  lived. 
On  the  corner  of  what  is  now  Broad  and  Pearl 
Streets  was  the  great  yellow  brick  residence  of 
the  Yan  Cortlandts.  Opposite  to  this  was  the 
mansion  of  Sir  Edward  Pickering,  with  gardens 
sloping  to  the  river.  The  west  side  of  Broad- 
way was  the  most  fashionable,  as  it  lay  within 
easy  distance  of  North  River.  Along  its 
banks  were  the  homes  of  the  Lispenards,  the 
luxurious  house  and  grounds  of  Lady  Peter 
Warren,  where  now  Bleeker  Street  meets  the 
river,  and  enclosing  the  boundaries  of  Varick 
and  Charlton  Streets,  Richmond  Hill,  so  long 
occupied  by  Aaron  Burr  in  after  years.  Above 
these  were  the  country  places  of  the  De 
Lancys,  Bayards,  Clarks,  Scotts,  Jauncys,  and 
Keteltas.  The  fine  mansion  of  “Boss”  Wal- 
ton, as  he  was  called,  was  the  show  house  of  the 
town.  This  stood  on  Franklin  Square.  At  No. 
8 Cherry  Street  was  the  Walter  Franklin  house, 
the  first  of  Washington’s  homes  during  the 
first  administration.  Hanover  Square  and  Wall 
Street  were  the  homes  of  the  rich  merchants, 
fashionable  boarding  houses  and  shops. 

102 


VISITING  AND  RECEIVING  VISITS 


The  Mall  in  front  of  Trinity  Church  was  the 
fashionable  promenade  of  the  day.  Here  every 
fine  afternoon  the  aristocracy  of  the  town  dis- 
ported itself,  the  Eng'lish  officers  making  them- 
selves agreeable  to  the  Dutch  belles,  and  the 
fine  ladies  leaning  from  their  chairs  for  passing 
gossip  with  one  another.  King’s  College,  as 
Columbia  was  then  known,  stood  on  Church 
Street  and  Chapel,  as  West  Broadway  was 
called,  and  between  Murray  and  Mortlake,  a 
name  we  have  changed  to  Barclay.  Burnaby, 
the  English  traveller,  speaks  of  it  with  the  river 
at  the  foot  of  its  ample  grounds  filled  with 
trees  as  the  “ most  beautiful  site  for  a college 
in  the  world.”  Just  beyond,  at  the  foot  of  War- 
ren Street,  extending  to  Chambers  Street,  was 
Yauxliall  Gardens,  running  down  to  the  river, 
and  between  Duane  and  Worth,  the  Ranelagh, 
a summer  garden,  wdiere  later  stood  the  New 
York  Hospital,  of  which  Governor  Tryon,  the 
last  English  ruler,  laid  the  corner  stone. 

The  taverns  occupied  a prominent  place  in 
the  social  life  of  the  day.  The  “ Queen’s 
Head,”  kept  by  Sam  Fraunces,  afterward 
Washington’s  steward,  stood  at  the  corner  of 
Pearl  and  Broad,  opposite  the  Yan  Cortlandt 
house.  This  was  the  Delmonico’s  of  the  day. 
Here  the  Social  Club  met,  which  numbered 
all  the  wits  and  bloods  of  the  town.  “ The 


103 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


King’s  Arms,”  the  rendezvous  of  the  dashing 
young  Red  Coats  and  Provincial  dandies,  was 
on  Crown  Street,  which  we  now  know  as 
Liberty.  In  the  rear  was  a broad  piazza  which 
overlooked  the  river  and  gardens.  It  was  a 
favorite  place  for  entertainments.  Once  a 
creature  advertised  in  the  New  York  “ Gazette  ” 
as  a Japanese  was  exposed  for  the  curious  to 
see.  Another  time  a “ white  negro,”  for  which 
we  have  the  more  imposing  name  of  “ albino,” 
was  on  exhibition.  The  “ City  Arms,”  on 
the  present  site  of  the  Boreel  buildings,  dis- 
putes with  Faneuil  Hall  the  title  of  “ Cradle 
of  Liberty.”  Here,  in  the  “ Long  Room,”  over 
two  hundred  merchants  met  to  protest  against 
the  Stamp  Act.  In  this  same  room  were  held 
the  dancing  assemblies,  which  “ Ed.”  Willetts 
managed  at  eight  shillings  a head.  Here  Mr. 
Hulett  gave  those  famous  concerts.  No  less 
necessary  to  the  gayety  and  life  of  the  time 
was  Burns’s  Coffee  House  on  Bowling  Green. 
The  Bowling  Green  was  the  city’s  first  pleasure- 
ground,  leased  by  John  Chambers,  Peter  Bay- 
ard, and  Peter  Jay  for  one  peppercorn.  It  then 
lay  open,  but  a few  years  later,  when  the 
equestrian  statue  of  George  III.  was  erected, 
was  enclosed  with  an  iron  fence.  At  the 
coffee  house  was  heard  the  gossip  of  the 
town.  Writing  to  Sir  Philip  Francis,  a young 

104 


VISITING  AND  RECEIVING  VISITS 


cousin  visiting  New  York  complains  of  the 
click  of  backgammon,  “ a dozen  tables  going 
all  day  long.”  Here  one  got  the  latest  news 
from  the  mains,  for  fighting  cocks  was  a 
favorite  amusement  of  the  idle  gentry.  The 
returns  of  the  smack  of  the  fishing  club  organ- 
ized by  Lord  Amherst  were  first  known  here, 
and  the  result  of  the  race  between  True  Briton 
and  Selim  for  one  thousand  guineas  at  the 
Philadelphia  course.  There  was  something 
more  than  sport  in  this  race,  and  party  feeling 
ran  high.  True  Briton  was  English  born 
and  owned  by  an  Englishman  named  Walton. 
Selim,  from  the  Arabian  Godolphin,  was  Ameri- 
can born,  the  property  of  Sam  Galloway  of 
Maryland.  Selim  won, — happy  omen!  Burns’s 
Coffee  House  drank  deep  when  the  news  came. 
Here  the  triumph  of  Lewis  Morris’s  Fancy 
was  discussed,  and  the  100  guinea  prize  won  by 
James  De  Lancy’s  newly  imported  horse,  Lath. 
On  the  site  of  the  old  “ Herald  ” building,  and 
where  the  aspiring  St.  Paul  building  now  rears 
its  head,  stood  Mrs.  Montanye’s  public  house, 
standing  under  the  shadow  of  the  Liberty  Pole, 
identified  with  the  rising  tide  of  the  Revolution 
as  Hampden  Hall,  the  headquarters  of  the  Sons 
of  Liberty,  and  even  at  this  time  making  the 
town  reasonably  full  of  life. 

The  New  Yorker  of  the  time  began  the  day 

105 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


early.  Usually  he  was  about  his  affairs  before 
breakfast.  As  his  store  or  office  was  com- 
monly in  the  lower  story  of  his  home,  this 
does  not  imply  much  effort  on  his  part. 
Dinner  was  from  one  to  three  o’clock.  Tea 
he  took  at  twilight,  and  later  had  a supper 
of  crabs,  scalloped  oysters,  bread  and  cheese 
at  some  tavern  where  he  could  meet  his  friends 
and  learn  the  news  of  the  town.  The  women 
dressed  quietly  at  home,  always  wearing  caps, 
hut  were  gayly  disposed  on  the  promenade  in 
brocaded  skirts  gathered  back  over  puckered 
petticoats,  with  high-heeled  shoes  and  tower- 
ing hats.  There  were  diversions  in  plenty. 
Of  the  theatre  in  John  Street  we  have  heard 
from  young  Phil  Schuyler.  Here  the  Ameri- 
can company  was  playing  Farquhar’s  come- 
dies. The  play  began  at  six  o’clock,  and  it 
was  the  custom  among  the  fashionable  folk 
to  send  negroes  ahead  to  keep  their  places. 
Hitherto  the  audience  not  infrequently  invaded 
the  stage.  But  this  custom  was  now  forbidden, 
also  the  throwing  of  eggs  as  a mark  of  disap- 
proval from  the  gallery.  The  news  of  the  day 
was  sometimes  announced  from  the  stage,  — 
notably  the  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act.  At  this 
time  “ songs  in  praise  of  Liberty  ” were  ven- 
tured. Dancing  was  universal.  Only  two  years 
before,  'William  Smith  writes  of  the  death  of 

10G 


VISITING  AND  RECEIVING  VISITS 


Chancellor  Morris,  who  “ at  a dance  at  Red 
Bank  led  out  the  parson’s  wife,  danced  down 
six  couples  and  fell  dead.”  In  the  summer 
were  tea,  ices,  and  mead  at  Vauxhall  and  Rane- 
lagh.  Famous  fish  dinners  were  given  at  an 
inn  on  Brooklyn  Heights.  At  Turtle  Bay, 
now  the  Thirty  Fourth  Street  Ferry,  turtle 
feasts  took  place  twice  a week.  An  important 
part  of  the  routine  was  the  return  over  the 
“ Kissing  Bridge,”  where  “ it  was  part  of  the 
ettiquette  of  the  occasion  to  salute  the  lad}r 
who  had  put  herself  under  your  protection.” 
At  Jones’s  Wood  flocks  of  wild  ducks  sometimes 
obscured  the  sky,  and  woodcock  abounded. 
Down  at  Moriches  and  Islip  there  were  snipe, 
plover,  partridge,  and  quail  hiding  in  numbers 
among  the  salt  grass.  There  was  a famous 
race-course  at  Hempstead  Plains,  and  much 
nearer  a course  on  Church’s  farm,  a “ stone’s 
throw  from  the  Astor  house.”  On  Long  Island 
there  was  fox  hunting  for  three  days  during 
the  season.  Apropos  one  of  the  jeu  d'esprits 
of  the  day,  from  the  pen  of  a witty  woman, 
unfortunately  unknown,  is  worth  quoting. 

“ A fox  is  killed  by  twenty  men. 

That  fox  perhaps  had  killed  a hen. 

A gallant  act  no  doubt  is  here. 

All  wicked  foes  ought  to  fear, 

When  twenty  dogs  and  twenty  men 
Can  kill  a fox  that  killed  a hen.” 

107 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


The  rich  families  had  barges  gayly  covered 
with  awnings  for  water  parties.  In  addition 
to  all  these  pleasures  for  our  visitor  there  were 
numerous  kinsmen  and  their  hospitable  homes 
to  enjoy.  Across  the  river  on  the  Passaic,  at 
Belleville,  was  the  ancestral  home  of  Colonel 
Arent  Schuyler.  This  was  a stately  house 
built  of  brick  and  stone,  in  the  midst  of  fine 
gardens  and  against  a lofty  wooded  hill. 
Close  by  his  father,  that  Colonel  Peter  who 
spent  his  money  so  freely  relieving  the  pris- 
oners in  Canada  during  the  French  War,  him- 
self a prisoner,  and  whose  release  New  York 
thought  worth  an  illumination,  had  built  two 
churches,  English  and  Dutch.  A short  dis- 
tance away  were  two  deer  parks,  enclosing 
nearly  two  hundred  deer.  A mind  so  full  of 
schemes  for  the  development  of  the  country’s 
resources  as  that  of  Philip  Schuyler  would  find 
much  of  interest  in  the  copper  mines  owned 
and  worked  by  his  relative.  The  ladies  had 
much  in  common  in  the  household  matters  of 
which  each  was  an  expert.  Of  Mrs.  Arent 
Schuyler’s  skill  we  have  the  eloquent  testimony 
of  young  Lieutenant  Bangs  about  that  time,  on 
a visit  to  the  copper  mines,  which  excited  gen- 
eral curiosity  : — 

“Notwithstanding  they  have  so  large  a family 
to  regulate  (from  50  to  60  blacks)  Mrs.  Schuyler 
108 


VISITING  AND  RECEIVING  VISITS 


seeth  to  the  Manufacturing  of  suitable  Cloathing 
for  all  her  family,  all  of  which  is  the  product  of 
her  Plantation  in  which  she  is  helped  by  her  Mama 
& Miss  Polly  and  the  whole  is  done  with  less 
Combustion  & noise  than  in  many  Families  who 
have  not  more  than  4 or  5 Persons  in  the  whole 
Family.” 

There  were  other  things  besides  social  pleas- 
ures taking  place  during  this  visit.  The 
bishops  had  just  carried  an  election.  The 
church  and  the  merchants  since  the  repeal 
of  the  Stamp  Act  were  in  close  alliance. 
“ The  election  of  the  church  party,”  writes 
Peter  Yan  Schaak,  subsequently  banished  as 
a Royalist,  “ is  a triumph  of  the  Mercantile 
Spirit.  A tradesman  as  a candidate  is  a con- 
dition of  every  party.”  In  the  letter  of  Sir 
Philip  Francis’s  young  kinsman,  already  quoted, 
he  adds, — 

“The  zealous  members  of  the  Church  of  England 
are  full  of  apprehension  at  the  growing  power  of 
the  Presbyterians.  Dont  imagine  that  I mean  any 
matter  relating  to  Salvation.  That  might  shift 
for  itself  until  Doomsday.  The  alarm  was  taken 
at  an  election  recently ; since  when  the  par- 
ties have  raged  with  violence.  The  Presbyterians 
should  not  be  allowed  to  grow  too  great.  They  are 
all  of  Republican  principle  The  Bostonians  are 
Presbyterians.” 


109 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


The  writer,  it  will  be  observed,  confounds  in 
a term  all  the  churches  allied  against  the  en- 
croachments of  the  English  Church,  for  whose 
support  they  were  taxed.  At  the  head  of  this 
alliance  against  the  church  party  were  the 
landed  families,  — the  Van  Rensselaers,  the 
Livingstons,  the  Schuylers.  There  were  three 
English  churches  at  the  time : Trinity,  on 
its  present  site,  King’s  Chapel  in  the  fort, 
and  St.  George’s  Chapel,  on  Beekman  Street. 
There  were  also  three  Presbyterian  churches : 
one  on  Wall  near  Broadway,  whose  pastor, 
Dr.  Rodgers,  the  first  vice  chancellor  of 
King’s  College,  in  his  stately  dress,  with  gold- 
headed cane,  on  the  promenade,  bowing  right 
and  left,  was  one  of  the  figures  of  the  town ; 
the  others  were  the  Brick  Church,  where  the 
“ Times  ” building  now  stands,  and  the  Scotch 
Presbyterian,  on  Little  Queen  Street,  now  Cedar. 
The  Dutch  church  stood  near  the  Exchange, 
and  the  Middle  Dutch  church  on  Garden  Street 
leading  into  Bi’oad.  This  had  a lofty  tower, 
and  in  it  Franklin  conducted  his  first  experi- 
ments in  electricity.  The  North  Dutch  church, 
which,  within  the  memory  of  man,  was  known 
as  the  Federal  Post  office,  on  the  corner  of 
Fulton  and  William,  was  not  built  until  1769. 
The  Baptists  had  a church  on  Gold  Street ; the 
Friends’  meeting  house  stood  on  Little  Crown 
no 


VISITING  AND  RECEIVING  VISITS 


Street,  now  Liberty  Place ; the  Huguenot 
Church  was  on  Pine,  fronting  the  Treasury 
building,  and  the  Jewish  synagogue  on  Mill 
Street,  running  into  Hanover  Square. 

The  alliance  of  these  non-conformist  churches 
had  become  threatening.  The  triumph  at  the 
election  of  the  church  party  was  accordingly 
great. 

Of  these  matters  no  one  was  a more  inter- 
ested spectator  than  Philip  Schuyler.  At  this 
moment  he  was  organizing  with  William 
Livingston  the  “New  York  Journal,”  pub- 
lished by  Holt,  henceforth  to  be  the  organ  of 
the  American  party. 


Ill 


VIII 


MAKING  READY  FOR  THE  STORM 

Important  matters  now  pertained  to  the 
settlement  at  Saratoga.  To  these  Philip  and 
Catherine  Schuyler  now  returned,  leaving 
their  daughter  Angelica,  a girl  of  ten,  for  sev- 
eral weeks  longer  with  Lady  Moore. 

Sir  Henry  keeps  her  parents  informed  of 
their  daughter’s  happiness,  and  Miss  Angelica 
now  “ desires  her  duty  to  papa  and  mama”  in 
the  most  respectful  maimer,  and  again  gayly 
sends  word  that  “ Miss  Schuyler  is  extremely 
shocked  that  Col.  Schuyler  makes  no  men- 
tion of  his  sending  his  duty  to  her.” 

The  friendship  of  these  two  families,  whose 
varied  interests  were  now  so  clearly  diverg- 
ing, remained  uninterrupted  to  the  end.  New 
demands  for  quartering  troops  both  in  Albany 
and  New  York  had  been  resisted.  In  return, 
all  legislation  was  denied  the  Province  until  it 
submitted.  The  country  had  iron,  but  was  not 
permitted  to  manufacture  it  for  its  own  use. 
Beaver  must  go  to  England  before  the  Colonists 
112 


MAKING  READY  FOR  THE  STORM 


could  wear  hats.  Wool  must  not  leave  the 
Province  in  the  form  of  cloth.  Trade  was  pro- 
hibited with  other  nations,  and  goods  bought 
from  other  countries  must  first  go  to  England 
and  pay  duty  there.  In  resisting  these  measures 
the  Colonists  were  not  more  influenced  by  the  im- 
portance of  becoming  less  dependent  on  the 
mother  country  for  their  supplies,  than  by  the 
importance  of  demonstrating  that  they  existed 
not  so  much  for  her  interests  as  for  their  own. 
This  was  not  the  accepted  view  of  the  relation 
of  a Colony  to  the  United  Kingdom. 

Colonel  Lewis  writes  to  Gates,  then  colonel 
of  the  Royal  troops  in  England  : “ People  here 
are  collecting  themselves  into  a Society  for 
establishing  full  Economy  in  their  dress  and 
family  expenses,  which  is  already  entered  into 
with  that  Zeal  that  many  of  the  Principal 
families  has  totally  expunged  English  beer, 
cheese  &c.  from  their  tables  and  as  many  as 
can  procure  it  cloath  themselves  in  Wollen 
and  Linon  of  American  manufacture.”  In 
order  to  procure  the  necessary  wool,  mutton 
was  banished  from  Colonial  tables.  Spinning 
became  a fashionable  employment,  and  daintily 
turned  wheels  the  ornament  of  drawing-rooms. 
The  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  the  Arts 
employed  “ Mrs  Gall  at  the  New  Gaol  & 
Mrs  Wood  at  Fresh  Water  to  teach  ladies  at 

8 113 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


six  shillings  a head.”  Premiums  were  offered 
by  the  Society  for  the  best  linen  thread,  the 
largest  yield  of  hemp  and  flax.  At  the  Decem- 
ber meeting  of  the  Society  in  1767,  Philip 
Schuyler  informed  them  that  he  had  in  the 
present  year  erected  a flax  mill  at  Saratoga, 
and  the  Society  adjudged  him  “ a medal  and 
their  thanks.”  Thus  chronicles  “ The  Mercury  ” 
of  Hugh  Gaines.  The  same  newspaper  is  full 
of  advertisements  from  William  Gilliland  of 
the  Lake  Champlain  Colony  offering  induce- 
ments to  “ Industrious  Farmers,”  on  the  plan 
of  Saratoga.  There  were  other  colonies  intent 
on  developing  the  resources  of  the  Province  in 
other  directions.  All  of  these  in  the  language 
of  the  day  were  termed  “ Nurseries  of  the 
Arts.”  Every  form  of  economy  was  practised. 
Men  and  women  wore  homespun.  Sassafras 
and  sage  were  used  instead  of  tea.  Irish 
butter,  hitherto  imported  in  great  quantities, 
was  discarded.  Gaines’s  “Mercury”  says, 
“Funerals  without  Mourning  or  the  giving  of 
English  Gloves  has  become  so  fashionable  that 
there  has  been  but  one  Funeral,  that  of  a 
negro  in  the  old  way.”  It  declares  that  in 
this  manner  alone  £ 10,000  has  been  saved  the 
town. 

Nor  was  the  agitation  all  industrial.  Philip 
Schuyler  had  been  recently  made  Colonel  by  Sir 

114 


MAKING  READY  FOR  THE  STORM 


Henry  Moore  of  a regiment  of  militia  intended 
to  keep  order  among  the  turbulent  settlers  of 
■what  was  known  as  the  New  Hampshire 
Grants.  The  confusion  concerning  the  divid- 
ing line  between  New  York  and  New  England 
created  endless  disturbances  between  the  set- 
tlers who  held  their  land  under  the  Duke  of 
York’s  patent,  and  that  obtained  by  the  New 
England  Colonies.  This  disputed  line  ran 
about  twenty  miles  from  Albany.  The  conflict 
raged  to  such  an  extent  that  a species  of 
border  warfare  was  begun,  which  resulted  on 
the  one  hand  in  the  Green  Mountain  Boys, 
who  went  cattle-lifting  like  Highlanders,  and 
on  the  other  in  such  moving  stories  as  that  of 
Captain  Remembrance  Baker,  told  in  the  annals 
of  Vermont.  Captain  Baker  had  built  some 
thriving  mills  on  property  claimed  by  some  of 
the  New  York  grantees.  For  this  he  was  de- 
cided to  be  a felon,  and  Captain  John  Munro 
with  ten  men  set  out  to  capture  and  bring  him 
to  Albany.  “ After  a Lord’s  Day  Consultation 
in  plotting  this  wicked  Design,  they  surprised 
Baker  in  his  Dwelling  House  about  the  first 
Appearance  of  the  Morning  light.  After  making 
an  effort  to  discharge  their  Fire  Arms  through 
Baker’s  house,  and  finding  them  missing  fire 
Munro  with  his  attendants  did  with  axes 
forcibly  break  & enter  Baker’s  House  with 

115 


CAT  BERIME  SCHUYLER 


weapon’s  of  Death,  Spread  destruction  around 
the  room,  cutting  with  swords  & bruising  with 
Fire  Arms  and  Clubs  men,  women  & children 
swearing  that  he  would  have  Baker  dead  or 
alive  & that  he  would  burn  the  House,  Baker 
wife,  children  & all  their  Effects,  Conveyed 
fire  from  the  Hearth  to  the  cupboard,  When 
the  Spirit  of  plunder  over-balanced  his  wretched 
noddle.”  While  he  was  searching  the  house, 
Baker,  who  was  hid  upstairs,  broke  a board 
from  the  gable  and  jumped  out.  His  pursuers 
seeing  him,  Munro  fired  and  “ set  on  him  a 
large  wilful  spiteful  very  malicious  dog,  edu- 
cated and  brought  up  according  to  their 
Notions.  He  was  like  all  the  Servants  of  the 
Devil  at  that  time  all  obedience.”  Poor  Baker 
was  caught  and  carried  off  to  Albany. 

Little  Miss  McVickar,  whose  papa  had  money 
invested  in  the  same  debatable  country,  pur- 
chased from  New  York,  gives  Mr.  Munro,  “ par- 
ticular friend  of  my  father,  a worthy  upright 
man  &”  an  entirely  different  character. 
“ These  incendiaries  [the  Green  Mountain 
hoys]  trusting  to  their  superior  numbers  and 
the  peaceable  disposition  of  our  friend  came 
out  to  oppose  him  ” in  the  defence  of  his  mills 
and  settlements.  To  adjust  differences  which 
produce  such  varying  estimates  of  character 
was  indeed  a difficult  task.  The  air  was  full 


116 


MAKING  READY  FOR  THE  STORM 


of  litigation  when  not  of  violence.  The  scorn 
of  the  Dutch  at  Albany  for  their  New  England 
neighbors,  as  for  a humbler  and  less  civilized 
people  was  not  strictly  concealed.  In  the  light 
of  after  events  the  part  Philip  Schuyler  had 
to  take  in  this  matter  was  the  most  unfortu- 
nate duty  he  had  ever  to  perform  for  his  State, 
since  the  unhappy  feeling  his  partisanship 
created  followed  him  persistently  throughout 
the  Revolution,  and  triumphed  so  far  as  sec- 
tional feeling  could  go.  It  was,  however,  the 
occasion  of  the  first  considerable  journey  of 
Catherine  Schuyler  from  home  and  her  little 
family.  This  was  to  Boston,  where  her  hus- 
band was  called  to  confer  on  the  question  of 
the  boundary  lines.  The  other  commissioners 
were  officials  and  men  of  dignity,  and  the  asso- 
ciation with  these  of  so  young  a man  was  not 
an  inconsiderable  honor.  Travel  was  as  yet  in 
a primitive  condition.  The  Boston  Post  road, 
which  passed  through  Hartford,  Springfield, 
Worcester,  had  hardly  yet  escaped  from  its 
early  title  of  “Path.”  The  stage  coach 
between  New  York  and  Boston  “ set  out  from 
Fowler’s  tavern  at  Fresh  Water,  near  Centre 
st  & Pearl,  once  a fortnight,  coming  on  Sat- 
urday evening  setting  out  by  way  of  Hart- 
ford on  Monday  morning  and  stopping  at  the 
best  houses  on  the  road  for  entertainment,  at 
117 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


a cost  of  4d  a mile.”  It  was  the  day  of  inns. 
The  keeping  of  the  inn  was  compulsory  at 
Hartford,  and  the  duty  of  the  innkeeper  care- 
fully outlined  in  the  Connecticut  Blue  Laws. 
The  traveller  was  welcome  not  more  for  his 
money  than  for  his  bundle  of  news  and  gossip. 
A few  years  after  Lafayette  writes  : “ Host  and 
Hostess  sit  at  table  with  you  and  do  the  honors 
of  a comfortable  meal,  and  on  going  away  you 
pay  your  fare  without  higgling.”  The  roads 
were  in  such  condition  that  when  the  stages  were 
started  with  relays  it  was  not  possible  to  make 
over  eighteen  miles  a day.  When  Josiah 
Quincy  and  his  bride  Eliza  Morton  made  their 
wedding  journey  from  New  York  to  Boston 
after  the  new  Connecticut  Post  road  was 
opened,  the  journey  required  five  days.  People 
of  such  quality  had  their  own  chariot,  calash, 
or  coach,  and  travelled  in  a good  deal  of  state. 
This  included  four  horses,  postilion,  and  out- 
riders. 

Of  the  particulars  of  this  journey  we  have 
no  knowledge.  It  was  doubtless  accompanied 
by  a good  deal  of  sight-seeing,  and  the  usual 
amount  of  dining  and  wining.  One  thing, 
however,  was  accomplished.  They  brought 
back  with  them  the  Rev.  Mr.  Drummond, 
apparently  not  more  intended  for  the  church 
at  Saratoga  and  the  souls  of  the  settlers  than 
118 


MAKING  READY  FOR  THE  STORM 


for  the  growing  needs  of  the  young  family. 
“I  think  it  a good  circumstance,”  writes 
William  Smith,  who  seems  to  have  discovered 
him,  “that  he  was  ordained  in  Scotland,  for 
you  know  that  the  National  Establishment  is 
closely  connected  with  that  of  the  Nether- 
lands. Mr.  Drummond  is  a good  scholar,  and 
may  be  useful  to  your  boys.”  Another  boy 
had  been  added  to  the  family,  and  according 
to  the  custom  of  the  family,  in  which  Philip 
and  John  alternate,  he  was  called  Philip  Jere- 
miah, and  his  birth  is  piously  recorded  with 
the  prayer,  “ May  the  Lord  grant  that  he  grow 
up  for  the  glory  of  God  and  his  happiness.” 

The  family  had  scarcely  settled  itself  for 
the  winter  in  the  commodious  Albany  house 
when  it  was  called  upon  to  receive  some  dis- 
tinguished visitors.  These  were  the  nine 
Catawba  warriors  from  South  Carolina,  on 
their  way  to  ratify  a covenant  with  the  Six 
Nations  at  the  close  of  the  Cherokee  War. 
At  their  head  was  the  chief,  Attakulakulla, 
or  Little  Carpenter.  They  had  stopped  pre- 
viously at  New  York,  where  Lieutenant- 
Governor  Bull  had  asked  Walter  Rutherford 
to  do  their  shopping.  This  consisted  of  the 
purchase  of  some  wampum  belts.  These,  as 
they  were  essential  to  all  formal  negotia- 
tions, and  their  color  and  the  dispositions  of 

119 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


the  periwinkle  shells  of  which  they  were  com- 
posed were  as  intelligible  as  a ritual,  were  ap- 
parently kept  in  stock.  He  also  desires  some 
deer  skins  as  a present  to  Governor  Clinton, 
and  that  an  ox  be  roasted  whole  at  the  meet- 
ing, that  the  etiquette  of  the  occasion  might 
be  fulfilled.  They  were  met  at  the  wharf  by 
Philip  Schuyler,  who  took  them  to  his  house. 
Indian  visitors  were  no  strangers  at  the 
prominent  houses.  The  Schuylers  had  always 
been  known  as  the  friend  of  the  Indian.  It 
was  Colonel  Peter  Schuyler  who  took  to  Eng- 
land the  “Indian  Kings,”  as  Queen  Anne’s 
Court  delighted  to  call  them.  It  was  in  com- 
memoration of  this  event  that  the  “ Schuyler 
Vase”  was  presented  by  the  Queen,  and  his 
portrait  full  length  in  court  dress  painted  by 
Sir  Godfrey  Kneller,  still  cherished  by  his 
descendants  at  Albany.  The  silver  chain 
which  represented  the  covenant  then  made,  in 
after  years  served  to  cut  the  teeth  of  succeed- 
ing generations  of  infant  Schuylers.  Their 
host  had  gained  the  friendship  of  the  Indians 
on  his  own  part  by  defending  their  interests 
in  a land  trade  in  one  of  his  early  ventures 
into  the  forest.  No  less  considerate  had  been 
Catherine  Schuyler  in  the  friendly  commerce 
of  mansion  and  wigwam  across  Aunt  Schuyler’s 
orchard,  and  as  a girl  at  Claverack. 

120 


MAKING  READY  FOR  THE  STORM 


The  visiting  strangers  were  not  likely  to  be 
embarrassed  by  their  surroundings.  All  the 
dealings  between  the  red  man  and  white  were 
conducted  as  between  two  high  contracting 
parties.  Charles  Lee,  writing  to  his  sister  in 
England,  says : “ I assure  you  if  you  were  to 
see  the  young  Warriors  dress  it  out  and 
armed  you  would  never  allow  that  there  was 
such  a thing  as  gentility  at  the  Court  of  St 
James.  You  may  perhaps  think  I am  joking, 
but  I give  you  my  word  and  honor  that  I am 
serious;  for  whether  it  is  from  their  dress 
which  has  no  ligatures,  or  from  their  con- 
tinued exercise  in  hunting  I cannot  tell,  but 
they  acquire  something  of  artistic  gracefulness 
in  their  walk  which  is  not  to  be  met  else- 
where ; their  dress  I like  most  wonderfully 
but  dont  know  how  to  describe  it ; they  wear 
a sort  of  mantle  thrown  over  their  right 
shoulder,  their  right  arm  is  bare.  This 
mantle  is  generally  laced,  and  generally  red 
& green  mixed  or  black  and  yellow.  They 
have  only  one  lock  of  hair  upon  their  heads, 
which  they  turn  up  with  feathers  and  paint  it 
as  they  do  likewise  their  faces  and  necks ; 
their  complexion  is  deep  Olive,  their  eyes  and 
teeth  fine,  but  their  Skins  most  inexpressibly 
soft  and  silky.”  Tench  Tilghman  gives  an 
enthusiastic  account  of  their  dignity  and  per- 
121 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


feet  manners.  Such  guests,  it  may  be  inferred, 
would  not  disturb  greatly  a household  accus- 
tomed to  sudden  demands  on  its  hospitality. 
Even  table  manners  not  altogether  aboriginal 
might  be  expected  from  Indian  ambassadors 
who  occasionally  met  at  table  governors  and 
other  high  officials. 

Not  long  before  there  had  been  another 
Indian  gathering  of  a different  but  even  more 
interesting  character.  This  was  after  the 
close  of  the  war  with  Pontiac,  brought  to  an 
end  by  their  friend  General  Bradstreet  in 
1765,  when  the  exchange  of  stolen  children 
took  place.  This  occurred  in  the  orchard  of 
Aunt  Schuyler,  who  was  instrumental  in 
having  it  take  place  at  Albany,  where  the 
Schuyler  influence  with  the  Mohawks  could 
be  used  in  learning  where  the  children  were, 
and  how  they  could  be  reached.  Against  this 
exchange  the  Indians  themselves  had  some- 
thing to  say.  But  an  eye-witness  relates  this 
interesting  story : — 

“In  the  first  place  they  [the  Indians]  had  grown 
very  fond  of  them;  and  again  because  they  thought 
the  children  would  not  be  very  happy  in  our  mode 
of  life,  which  appeared  to  them  both  constrained 
and  effeminate.  This  exchange  had  a large  retro- 
spect. For  ten  years  there  had  been  every  now  and 
then,  while  the  Indians  were  in  the  French  inter- 
122 


MAKING  READY  FOR  THE  STORM 


est,  ravages  upon  the  frontiers  of  the  different 
provinces.  In  many  instances  these  children  had 
been  snatched  away  while  the  parents  were  working 
in  the  fields,  or  after  they  were  killed.  A certain 
day  was  appointed  on  which  all  who  had  lost  chil- 
dren, or  sought  those  of  their  relations  were  ap- 
pointed to  come  to  Albany  in  search  of  them; 
where  on  that  day  all  the  Indians  possessed  of 
white  children  were  to  present  them.  Poor  women 
who  had  traveled  one  hundred  miles  from  the  back 
settlements  of  Pennsylvania  and  New  England  ap- 
peared here  with  anxious  looks  and  aching  hearts 
not  knowing  whether  their  children  were  alive  or 
dead,  or  how  to  identify  their  children  if  they 
should  meet  them.  I observed  these  apprehensive 
tender  mothers  were,  although  poor  people  all 
dressed  with  peculiar  neatness  and  attention,  each 
wishing  the  first  impression  her  child  should  re- 
ceive of  her  might  be  a favorable  one. 

“ On  a gentle  slope  near  the  Fort  stood  a row  of 
temporary  huts  built  by  retainers  to  the  troops; 
the  green  before  these  buildings  was  the  scene  of 
these  pathetic  recognitions  which  I did  not  fail  to 
attend.  The  joy  of  the  happy  mothers  was  over- 
powering and  found  vent  in  tears ; but  not  the  tears 
of  those  who  after  long  travel  'found  not  what  they 
sought.  It  was  affecting  to  see  the  deep  silent  sor- 
row of  the  Indian  women  and  of  the  children,  who 
knew  no  other  mother,  and  clung  fondly  to  their 
bosoms  from  whence  they  were  not  torn  without  * 
bitter  shrieks.  I shall  never  forget  the  grotesque 
123 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


figures  and  wild  looks  of  these  young  savages;  nor 
tlie  trembling  haste  with  which  their  mothers  ar- 
rayed them  in  the  new  clothes  they  had  brought  for 
them,  as  hoping  with  the  Indian  dress  they  would 
throw  off  their  habits  and  attachments.  It  was  in 
short  a scene  impossible  to  describe  and  most 
affecting  to  behold.” 

Philip  Schuyler  was  nominated  and  elected 
to  the  Assembly  in  the  autumn  of  1768. 
Preparations  were  made  to  spend  the  winter 
in  New  York.  He  had  applied  to  his  rela- 
tive, Elizabeth  Livingston,  who  recommended 
the  Widow  Grant  in  Hanover  Square  for  board 
for  his  children.  She  signifies  her  willing- 
ness to  take  “two  of  the  children  for  50  a 
year,  two  pounds  of  tea,  one  of  loaf  sugar 
each,  their  stockings  & shoes  mended,  but 
new  work  must  be  paid  for  the  making.” 
The  three  girls  had  previously  been  in  New 
York  at  school.  James  Livingston  previously 
reports  that  “the  young  ladies  are  in  perfect 
health  and  improve  in  their  education  in  a 
manner  beyond  belief,  and  are  grown  to  such 
a degree  that  all  the  tucks  in  their  gowns  had 
to  be  let  out  some  time  ago.” 

The  Assembly,  however,  was  not  called 
together.  Since  the  Province  refused  to 
quarter  more  troops,  England  proposed  to 
punish  the  Colonists  by  depriving  New  York 

124 


MAKING  READY  FOR  THE  STORM 


of  the  power  to  make  laws.  In  this  case  an 
idle  and  possibly  saucy  Assembly  might  inter- 
fere materially  with  the  peace  of  the  Colonial 
Governor,  who  was  above  all  things  amiable 
and  diplomatic.  Meanwhile  the  controversy 
was  able  to  rage  around  the  Liberty  Pole,  the 
vicissitudes  of  which  recorded  the  temper  of 
the  community  and  the  progress  of  events. 
The  Liberty  Pole  was  first  erected  to  celebrate 
the  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act.  It  was  a pretty 
piece  of  diplomacy  on  the  part  of  the  Royal 
Governor  to  unite  the  celebration  with  the 
honors  of  the  King’s  birthday.  An  ox  was 
roasted  whole,  barrels  of  beer,  a hogshead  of 
rum,  and  unlimited  punch,  a bonfire,  salvos  of 
artillery,  and  with  “ God  Save  the  King,  ” the 
pole  was  dedicated  to  George  III.,  Pitt,  and 
Liberty.  The  complaisance  of  this  union 
could  not  hold  for  long.  The  cutting  down 
of  the  pole  by  the  troops,  the  raising  of  it  by 
the  excited  patriots,  the  street  skirmishes, 
the  broken  heads,  the  chapel  bell  sending  out 
night  alarms  about  the  “consecrated  spot,” 
as  the  devotion  of  the  town  finally  termed  it, 
made  the  nights  lively.  The  marching  from 
“ Hampden  Hall  of  enthusiastic  citizens  to  the 
Liberty  Pole,”  thence  down  Beekman  Street, 
thence  to  Queen  and  the  Coffee  House,  then 
up  W all  Street  to  Broadway,  and  again  to  the 

125 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


Liberty  Pole  to  disband,  while  heads  of  pa- 
triot wives  and  daughters  were  thrust  out  of 
upper  windows,  enlivened  the  day.  The 
women  sometimes  took  a more  energetic  part. 
At  Kinderliook  a committee  of  women  entered 
the  shop  of  a tea  dealer,  bound  him,  and 
appointing  one  of  themselves  a weigher, 
another  a treasurer,  weighed  out  the  tea, 
apportioned  it,  and  deposited  the  money  at 
their  own  price  in  the  till.  On  the  whole 
there  were  stirring  times,  in  which  one  may 
be  sure  the  King’s  College  boys, — Gouverneur 
Morris,  Gulian  Verplanck,  Robert  Livingston, 
Egbert  Benson,  and  Benjamin  Moore,  who 
had  not  yet  taken  their  degrees,  — and  young 
Alexander  Hamilton,  took  a certain  part. 

When  the  Assembly  was  called,  it  precipi- 
tated after  all  new  troubles  on  Sir  Henry, 
desiring  above  everything  else  an  amicable 
time.  That  famous  election  which  brought  in 

“ Measter  Walton,  DeLancy 
Measter  Cruger  & Jauncey  ” 

of  the  Tory  party  was  the  occasion  of  Assembly- 
man  Philip  Schuyler  and  his  family  coming 
to  town.  One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  Assembly 
was  to  grant  £200  for  the  support  of  two 
battalions  of  troops  according  to  the  Royal 
desire.  It  was  in  protest  against  this  grant 
126 


MAKING  READY  FOR  THE  STORM 


that  the  famous  meeting  in  the  Fields  called 
by  order  of  “Vox  Populi  ” was  held.  It  was 
this  meeting  that  was  the  cause  of  Philip 
Schuyler’s  maiden  speech  in  the  Assembly. 
The  proclamation  of  “Vox  Populi  ” was  held 
by  the  Assembly  to  be  an  “infamous  libel,” 
and  its  author,  Alexander  McDougall,  was 
thrown  into  jail.  It  was  in  opposition  to  this 
charge  that  the  new  member  spoke,  and  his 
voice  alone  was  raised.  Later  when  Captain 
Sears,  associated  with  McDougall,  asked  to 
be  heard  by  the  Assembly  in  his  own  defence, 
George  Clinton  and  Nathaniel  Sears  ranged 
themselves  by  Philip  Schuyler  in  support  of 
his  plea.  Gossip  raged  through  the  town.  The 
Church  party  with  all  its  social  power  was 
allied  with  the  Crown.  Meanwhile  forty  of 
the  first  ladies  of  the  opposite  party,  led  by 
the  intrepid  Mrs.  Malcolm,  visited  McDougall 
in  prison  in  a body.  Here  he  held  daily 
levees,  feasted  on  fruits  and  wines,  and  doubt- 
less took  amiable  views  of  his  confinement. 

The  resolute  stand  of  the  young  Assembly- 
man  made  him  a no  less  notable  figure.  These 
differences,  however,  did  not  alter  the  friendly 
relations  existing  between  the  Moores  and  the 
Scliuylers.  These,  however,  were  shortly 
terminated  by  the  death  of  Sir  Henry,  which 
occurred  suddenly  that  same  year.  He  was 

127 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


succeeded  by  Governor  Tryon,  bringing  with 
him  an  amiable  wife  and  daughter.  Shortly 
after  this  note  was  received  in  Albany : “ Mrs. 
Tryon  desires  me  to  present  her  compliments 
to  you  and  to  inform  you  that  she  accepts  the 
invitation  of  becoming  your  guest  in  Albany.” 
There  was  some  anxiety  about  finding  a com- 
fortable sloop  for  the  journey,  Catherine 
Schuyler  making  inquiries  about  dates  of 
sailing.  The  Tryons  came  late  in  June. 
They  were  taken  to  the  Schuyler  country  place 
after  some  gala  making  at  Albany.  Sara- 
toga was  looking  its  loveliest:  its  orchard 
and  flower  beds  in  bloom,  the  lawns  verdant 
down  to  the  foaming  Fish  Kill,  whose  islands 
were  covered  with  verdure,  and  its  trees  fes- 
tooned with  the  fragrant  wild  grape,  now  in 
bloom.  Here  Mrs.  Tryon  stayed  while  the 
Governor  and  his  host  were  off  on  one  of  the 
land-purchasing  expeditions  which  none  of 
the  Colonial  governors  were  known  to  neglect. 
Vast  purchases  were  made.  Governor  Tryon 
acted  as  agent  for  a number  of  foreign  noble- 
men. His  fees  alone  amounted  to  £22,000. 
“A  good  summer’s  work,”  Philip  Schuyler 
wrote  to  his  friend  William  Duer,  and  con- 
tinues facetiously : — 

“A  large  premium  is  offered  by  the  land  jobbers 
in  New  York  to  an  ingenious  architect  who  shall 
128 


MAKING  READY  FOR  THE  STORM 


contrive  a machine  to  waft  them  to  the  moon. 
Should  Ferguson,  Martin  or  any  eminent  astrono- 
mer assert  that  they  had  discovered  large  vales  of 
land  in  that  luminary  I would  apply  to  be  commis- 
sioner for  granting  land,  if  I knew  to  whom  to 
apply  for  it.” 

During  this  period  General  Bradstreet, 
their  lifelong  friend,  died  in  New  York, 
where  Philip  Schuyler  hastened  to  his  bed- 
side. General  Bradstreet  never  rejoined  his 
family  in  London.  When  in  Albany  he  passed 
his  time  in  the  Schuyler  family.  When  he 
died  Philip  Schuyler  was  his  executor.  His 
death  closed  a period  which  in  the  retrospect 
was  a training-ground  for  the  more  stirring 
events  of  the  Revolution,  soon  to  follow. 


9 


129 


IX 


THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  STRUGGLE 

The  snn  shone  brightly  that  peaceful  Sun- 
day morning  in  May  1775.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Drum- 
mond, now  installed  over  the  little  community 
at  Saratoga,  had  finished  his  sermon.  The  con- 
gregation, doubtless  greatly  refreshed,  gathered 
about  the  door  for  that  friendly  visiting  and 
exchange  of  news,  which  was  then  as  now  the 
custom  in  country  parishes.  As  they  talked, 
a horseman  dashed  up  and  handed  a message 
to  a man  easily  distinguished  as  the  most 
prominent  person  present.  It  was  Philip 
Schuyler,  and  he  read  to  his  neighbors  as  they 
gathered  about  him  the  news  of  the  battle  of 
Lexington.  The  scene  was  afterward  described 
by  an  old  man,  — a boy  then  present : “ He 
was  the  oracle  of  the  neighborhood.  We 
looked  up  to  him  with  respect  and  affection. 
His  popularity  was  unbounded ; his  views  on 
all  subjects  were  considered  sound  and  his 
anticipations  prophetic.”  Now  anxious  faces 
were  turned  to  him  to  interpret  the  meaning 

130 


THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  STRUGGLE 


of  this  news.  While  he  talked  they  listened. 
At  length  the  excited  congregation  separated 
to  their  own  homes,  convinced  that  the  period 
of  dissatisfaction,  protest,  turbulence  was  past. 
This  at  last  was  war.  The  text  and  the  ser- 
mon found  no  place  that  day  at  these  dinner 
tables.  In  the  household  at  Saratoga  events 
hurried. 

The  guns  of  Lexington  shattered  the  tardy 
indecision  of  New  York.  There  had  been 
none  down  the  valley  of  the  Hudson,  where  the 
influence  of  the  Livingstons,  the  Van  Rens- 
selaers,  the  Schuylers,  and  the  other  Hutch 
families  was  felt.  Congress  was  to  convene 
May  10.  Philip  Schuyler,  who  was  to  serve 
his  first  term,  left  the  day  before  on  the  Albany 
sloop  for  the  six  days’  journey  to  Philadelphia. 
One  month  hence  a notable  procession  started 
northward.  Prominent  in  it  was  Major- 
General  Philip  Schuyler,  accompanying  the 
Commander-in-Chief  of  the  American  army, 
and  Major-General  Charles  Lee  to  New  York. 
They  were  escorted  out  of  Philadelphia  by  a 
number  of  gentlemen  on  horseback,  and  they 
were  met  at  New  York  by  nine  companies  of 
troops  and  a number  of  distinguished  citizens. 
General  Schuyler  stopped  with  his  old  friend 
William  Smith  on  Broad  Street.  This  was 
opposite  the  house  occupied  by  Governor 

131 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


Ti’3ron  since  the  Colonial  residence  in  the  fort 
was  destroyed  by  fire.  The  evening  was  spent 
in  discussing  military  affairs  with  General 
Washington,  who  the  next  day  started  with 
General  Lee  for  Cambridge,  to  take  charge  of 
the  army.  There  was  much  to  do  in  New 
York.  A review  of  the  regiments  took  place  ; 
but  so  far  as  Madame  and  the  young  ladies 
were  concerned,  nothing  of  more  importance 
occurred  than  the  engagement  of  handsome 
Dick  Varick  as  military  secretary.  There  is 
a story  that,  clad  in  his  new  blue  and  buff, 
General  Schuyler  went  across  the  street  to 
call  on  his  friend  the  Royal  Governor.  “ Gen- 
eral Schuyler?  I know  no  such  person,” 
was  the  answer  Governor  Tryon  returned, 
declining  to  see  him. 

But  there  was  a proud  and  eager  family  at 
Saratoga  to  greet  Major-General  Schuyler. 
This  family  included,  besides  his  wife,  three 
spirited  daughters,  the  oldest,  Angelica,  now 
a young  woman  of  nineteen;  Elizabeth,  eigh- 
teen ; Margaret,  seventeen ; three  boys,  the  son 
and  heir,  John  Bradstreet,  thirteen  yeai's  old; 
Philip  Jeremiah;  and  Van  Rensselaer,  now  a 
boy  of  two.  Together  they  went  to  Albany, 
where  fresh  honors  were  waiting.  There  was 
a procession  and  an  address  at  the  City  Hall 
by  our  good  Dr.  Stringer.  The  distinguished 

132 


THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  STRUGGLE 


guest  was  then  escorted  to  his  home  by  the 
citizens.  At  night  the  town  was  illuminated 
in  his  honor.  War  and  its  horrors  were  not 
new  to  Catherine  Schuyler.  Danger  from  open 
and  stealthy  foe  had  encompassed  her  from 
her  cradle.  But  moments  such  as  these  were 
among  the  compensations  of  a future  of  anxi- 
ety and  responsibility,  and  it  was  a proud  and 
united  family  that  gathered  in  the  Albany 
home  that  night. 

The  next  day  she  and  her  children  went 
back  to  Saratoga  for  the  final  leavetaking. 
That  night  at  midnight  the  family  were  awak- 
ened by  the  news  that  eight  hundred  savages 
under  Walter  Butler  and  Brant,  the  brother 
of  Molly  Brant  of  Johnson  Hall,  were  coming 
down  the  valley.  The  rival  influences  of  the 
Schuylers  and  the  Johnsons  over  the  Six 
Nations,  in  view  of  the  coming  struggle,  was 
now  indeed  an  important  matter.  The  John- 
sons were  Tories,  and  their  affiliations  with 
the  Indians  and  their  semi-entrenched  position 
at  Johnson  Hall  gave  them  a tremendous  ad- 
vantage. The  utmost  that  could  be  hoped  was 
to  induce  the  Indians  to  remain  neutral.  The 
journey  to  Ticonderoga,  which  was  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Army  of  the  North  and  again  to 
be  the  scene  of  action,  was  delayed  for  several 
days  in  order  to  set  in  motion  the  arrange- 

133 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


ments  for  an  Indian  council.  This  took  place  in 
August,  General  Schuyler  returning  from  Sara- 
toga to  take  part.  One  of  the  participants  was 
a young  aide-de-camp  of  General  Washington 
from  Maryland,  named  Tench  Tilghman.  The 
journal  he  then  kept  for  his  family  relates 
picturesquely  the  events  of  the  Council,  and 
at  the  same  time  affords  an  entertaining 
glimpse  of  the  family  and  social  life  of  the 
Schuylers.  A gallant  young  Southerner  could 
scarcely  be  brought  into  the  presence  of  a 
group  of  girls  without  setting  down  his  im- 
pressions. This  he  does.  The  Commissioners 
first  went  to  Saratoga,  and  were  greatly 
interested  in  the  saw  and  grist  mills,  and  the 
evidences  of  industry  and  prosperity  of  the 
colony.  Here  they  were  “ very  genteely  enter- 
tained by  the  General  and  his  Lady.”  The 
young  ladies  were  at  Albany,  where  he  was 
soon  to  meet  them,  with  some  South  Carolina 
friends  he  was  so  fortunate  as  to  find. 

“I  spent  the  greatest  part  of  the  morning,”  he 
writes,  “in  a visit  to  the  Ladyes,  where  I had  the 
pleasure  of  being  introduced  to  Miss  Ann  Schuyler 
the  General’s  oldest  daughter.  A very  Pretty 
Young  Lady.  A Brunette  with  dark  eyes  and 
a countenance  animated  and  sparkling,  as  I am  told 
she  is.”  In  the  afternoon  he  adds : “Having  taken 
leave  of  my  host  I called  at  the  General  Schuylers 
134 


THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  STRUGGLE 


to  pay  my  compliments  to  the  Gen.  his  Lady  and 
Daughter.  I found  none  of  them  at  home  but 
Miss  Betsey  Schuyler,  the  General’s  2nd  Daughter 
to  whom  I was  introduced  by  Mr.  Commissary 
Livingston  who  accompanied  me.  I was  prepos- 
sessed in  favor  of  this  Young  Lady  the  moment 
I saw  her.  A Brunette  with  the  most  good  natured 
dark  lovely  eyes  that  I ever  saw,  which  threw 
a beam  of  good  temper  and  Benevolence  over  her 
entire  countenance.  Mr.  Livingston  informed  me 
that  I was  not  mistaken  in  my  Conjecture  for  she 
was  the  finest  tempered  Girl  in  the  World.” 

The  young  man  was  not  inclined  to  lose  the 
opportunities  her  further  acquaintance  pre- 
sented, and  gayeties  were  immediately  organ- 
ized. One  was  a picnic  to  Cohoes  Falls  above 
Albany.  They  started  early  in  the  morning 
— “ Mrs  Lynch  & Mrs  Cuyler  in  a Post- 
Chaise,  Miss  Betsey  Schuyler  & Mr  Cuyler  in 
a kind  of  a Phaeton.  Miss  Lynch  and  Mr 
Tilghman  in  a third.”  They  reached  the 
Falls  about  eleven,  where  Miss  Betsey  aston- 
ished the  young  Southerner  by  clambering 
unaided  over  the  rocks,  “for  she  disdained 
all  assistance  and  made  herself  merry  at  the 
distress  of  the  other  Ladyes.  ” Shortly  after 
the  manner  of  all  picnickers,  they  “ refreshed 
themselves  with  the  Sherbet  and  Biscuit  I 
lay  in.”  On  the  drive  back  to  town,  they 

135 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


stopped  at  a farm-house,  and  bespoke  dinner, 
and  got  back  to  town  in  time  to  see  the  recep- 
tion of  the  Indians  who  had  come  to  the 
Council.  Two  fires  were  lighted  in  the  middle 
of  the  street.  Around  these  the  Indians, 
nearly  naked,  danced,  beating  time  with  their 
drums,  and  striking  sticks  together  while  they 
sang,  sometimes  in  a low  and  mournful  strain, 
and  sometimes  in  a lively  manner  at  the 
warlike  deeds  the  recital  demanded.  The 
dance  concluded  about  ten  o’clock,  “and  being 
entirely  novel  was  the  more  entertaining  to 
the  Ladyes.  ” 

The  next  day  the  ladies  from  the  Carolinas, 
the  Commissioners,  and  several  generals  from 
the  neighboring  Provinces  dined  with  General 
and  Mrs.  Schuyler.  “He  has  a palace  of  a 
house  and  lives  like  a Prince,”  writes  the 
enthusiastic  young  man.  There  was  much 
gay  talk.  Among  other  things  they  were  to 
meet  some  of  the  “Indian  Princes”  in  the 
evening.  He  was  asked  if  he  had  an  Indian 
name.  It  was  the  custom  for  the  Indians  to 
adopt  likely  young  men  into  the  tribe.  In 
order  to  do  this  they  must  take  an  Indian 
name  and  an  Indian  wife.  This  young  Tilgh- 
man  agreed  to  do,  “Miss  Betsey  Schuyler 
and  Miss  Lynch  agreeing  to  stand  brides- 
maids.” All  this  was  agreeably  carried  out 

136 


THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  STRUGGLE 


during  the  evening.  The  chief  of  the  Onon- 
dagas  adopted  the  young  man,  christening 
him  “ Teo-ko-ko-londe,  ” a name  signifying 
great  courage,  but  literally  meaning  “having 
horns.”  “The  christening  cost  a bowl  of 
punch  or  two,  which  I believe  was  the  chief 
motive  of  the  institution,”  adds  the  astute 
young  man. 

His  account  of  the  Council  is  worth  trans- 
cribing, since  it  was  the  last  Council  ever 
held  at  Albany,  and  closes  a picturesque  form 
of  negotiation  which  played  an  important  part 
in  the  history  of  the  country,  and  of  which 
since  the  formation  of  the  Colony  Albany  was 
the  centre. 

“The  Treaty  was  opened  with  great  form. 
The  Pipe  of  Peace  smoked,  and  General 
Schuyler  delivered  the  preparatory  speech. 
These  matters  took  us  up  to  four  o’clock  when 
the  meeting  adjourned.  ” This  continued  for 
several  days,  “owing  to  the  delay  and  diffi- 
culty of  getting  what  you  say  delivered  to  the 
Indians.  The  speech  is  first  delivered  in 
short  sentences  by  one  of  the  Commissioners, 
their  interpi’eter  tells  an  Indian  what  has  been 
saying.  After  this  has  been  repeated  to  the 
Indian  he  speaks  it  to  the  Sis  Nations.  So 
that  a speech  that  would  take  twenty  minutes 
will  require  two  or  three  hours.  The  speech 

137 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


is  written  by  Congress  but  has  to  be  put  into 
form  so  that  the  Indian  understands  it.  In 
its  original  form  you  might  ,as  well  read  a 
Chapter  of  Locke  on  the  Understanding.” 
This  slowness  was  afterward  appreciated  by 
the  astonished  writer.  When  the  answer 
was  received  several  days  later  the  Indians 
had  remembered  every  word  said  to  them. 
“The  speech  would  have  made  9 or  10  folio 
pages,  but  when  they  came  to  answer  they  did 
not  omit  a single  head,  and  on  most  repeated 
our  own  words,  for  it  is  a Custom  with  them 
to  Recapitulate  what  you  have  said  & give 
answer.  They  are  Thoroughbred  Politicians. 
They  know  the  Proper  time  of  making  demands. 
They  ripped  several  old  grievances  and  de- 
manded redress.”  The  influence  of  their 
women  was  recognized  by  a paragraph  ad- 
dressed to  them  by  General  Schuyler:  “Your 
women  have  sent  us  their  belt.  We  beg  of 
you  to  answer  them  of  our  regard,  and  to 
entreat  them  to  prevent  your  warriors  from 
doing  anything  that  would  tend  to  incur  our 
resentment  or  interrupt  the  harmony  which 
we  wish  may  endure  to  the  end  of  time.” 
After  the  deliberations  of  the  day  the  evening 
would  be  varied  with  sports.  “Not  in  the 
formal,  but  in  the  agreeable  accidental  man- 
” One  of  these  evenings  the  writer 

138 


ner. 


THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  STRUGGLE 


describes  with  his  accustomed  ingenuousness, 
and  it  is  left  for  an  astonished  posterity  to 
comment  on  the  taste  of  the  time,  for  there  is 
no  reason  to  think  that  the  ladies  absented 
themselves  from  these  sports. 

“We  turned  out  a bull  for  the  young 
Indians  to  hunt  and  kill  after  their  manner 
with  Hachetts  & knives.  The  Beast  was  not 
of  the  fiery  Spanish  breed  for  he  suffered 
himself  to  be  despatched  without  even  turning 
upon  his  assailants.”  After  this  pastime, 
“we  put  up  two  laced  hats  and  a silver  arm 
band  to  be  run  for.  I think  I have  seen  white 
men  who  would  have  outstripped  these  Cham- 
pions, as  their  mode  of  running  seemed  more 
calculated  for  long  distance  than  for  swift- 
ness. ” After  the  amusements  of  the  evening, 
the  enthusiastic  young  man  exclaims:  “There 
is  something  in  the  behavior  of  the  Gen.  his 
Lady  and  Daughters  that  makes  one  acquainted 
with  them  instantly  I feel  easy  and  free  from 
restraint  at  his  seat  as  I feel  at  Cliffden  where 
I am  always  at  a second  home.”  But  the 
General  was  obliged  to  go  back  to  Ticon- 
deroga,  and  his  wife  and  daughters  were  to 
return  to  Saratoga.  The  familiar  hospitality 
of  the  household  the  impetuous  Marylander 
goes  on  to  illustrate:  “went  out  to  Breakfast 
with  the  Gen1  and  to  take  my  leave  of  the 

139 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


Ladyes.  I found  the  girls  up  & ready  for  the 
March  Breakfast  was  on  the  Table  and  down 
I sat  among  them  like  an  Old  Acquaintance 
tho’  this  is  only  the  Seventh  day  since  my 
Introduction  It  would  be  seven  years  before  I 
could  be  so  intimate  with  half  the  world  But 
there  is  so  much  frankness  and  Freshness  in 
this  family  that  a man  must  be  dead  to  every 
feeling  of  Familiarity  who  is  not  familiarized 
the  first  hour  of  being  among  them.” 

This  is  agreeable  testimony.  Nor  was  so 
appreciative  a guest  deprived  of  further  view. 
Still  delayed  on  Indian  affairs  we  find  him 
again  recording,  “ Who  should  bless  my  eyes 
again  this  Evening  but  good  natured  agreeable 
Betsey  Schuyler  just  returned  from  Saratoga 
With  her  was  Miss  Ranslaer  with  whom  she 
is  staying.”  This  young  lady,  it  appears, 
was  quite  pretty,  and  liked  to  be  teased  about 
her  beaux.  As  he  had  heard  of  her  triumphs 
he  rejoices  that  he  “ could  talk  on  such  agree- 
able matters  Lamenting  my  short  stay  out  of 
Compliment  to  her  & such  common  place 
stuff.  But  I told  Miss  Schuyler  so  with 
Truth  for  I am  under  infinite  obligations  to 
the  kindness  of  her  & her  Family.” 

The  fast-flying  summer  brought  an  end  to 
these  gayeties.  General  Schuyler  at  St. 
Johns  had  been  seized  by  his  old  enemy,  the 
140 


THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  STRUGGLE 


gout,  combined  with  rheumatic  fever  drawn 
from  the  swamps  and  chill  autumn  rains. 
There  were  vexations  in  camp,  however, 
harder  to  bear  than  these  twinges  of  pain. 
“No  arms,  no  powder,  no  blankets;  officers 
— no  commissions;  treasury  — no  money,” 
writes  the  Commander  of  the  Army  of  the 
North.  There  were  jealousies  between  the 
Provinces ; jealousies  between  the  officers  and 
the  men.  “The  Connecticut  privates  are  all 
generals,”  writes  Montgomery,  worn  out  in 
flesh  and  spirit.  “The  troops  carry  the  spirit 
of  freedom  into  the  field  and  think  for  them- 
selves. ...  1 wish  some  method  could  be  fallen 
upon  of  engageing  gentlemen  to  serve ; a point 
of  honor  and  more  knowledge  of  the  world 
would  greatly  reform  discipline  and  render  the 
troops  more  tractable.  ...  I have  sent  back 
ten  boats  with  the  naked  and  lazy,”  he  writes 
to  his  chief.  To  the  methodical  mind  of 
General  Schuyler,  whose  military  experience 
had  taught  him  the  value  of  discipline,  and 
whose  views  of  society  insisted  on  ranks  and 
conditions,  the  situation  was  more  insupport- 
able than  the  gout.  “If  Job  had  been  a 
general  in  my  situation  his  memory  had  not 
been  so  famous  for  patience,”  he  writes  to 
Congress.  His  letters  to  Washington  reiter- 
ate these  complaints,  and  are  echoed  by  the 

141 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


Commander-in-Chief  at  Cambridge,  who  had 
his  own  troubles  in  kind.  At  length  the 
burden  of  illness  and  vexation  became  too 
great,  and  Mrs.  Schuyler  was  sent  for,  the 
General  being  carried  back  to  Ticonderoga, 
which,  “in  the  name  of  the  Great  Jehovah 
and  the  Continental  Congress,”  had  been 
captured  some  time  before  by  Colonel  Ethan 
Allen,  who  seems  to  have  had  an  eye  for 
dramatic  effect. 

The  itinerary  of  this  dangerous  and  melan- 
choly journey  has  been  made  out.  It  is  a 
romantic  region,  as  every  tourist  knows  who 
has  made  the  journey  from  Saratoga  through 
Glenn’s  Falls  to  Caldwell  and  the  head  of 
Lake  George.  But  the  picturesque  head-waters 
of  the  Hudson  and  the  primeval  forest  were 
at  the  time  not  so  much  objects  of  beauty  and 
grandeur  as  sources  of  horror  associated  with 
the  bloody  scenes  of  the  French  and  Indian 
War.  Mrs.  Schuyler,  accompanied  only  by 
an  aide-de-camp,  went  in  an  open  wagon  to 
McNeill’s  ferry,  where  they  were  taken  across 
the  Hudson  in  a flat-bottomed  boat.  Resum- 
ing the  wagon  they  drove  to  Fort  Miller,  six 
miles  up  the  river,  where  the  troops  of  Sir 
William  Johnson  and  Baron  Dieskau  were 
wont  alternately  to  muster.  Leaping  down 
from  the  mountains  in  sparkling  cascades 

142 


THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  STRUGGLE 


Bloody  Run  empties  here  into  the  Hudson. 
Here,  in  1759,  while  a party  of  soldiers  from 
the  fort  were  fishing  for  trout,  the  Indians 
secreted  in  the  dense  wood  stole  out  upon 
them,  and  scalped  nine  before  the  alarm  could 
be  given.  This  tragedy  gave  the  name  to  the 
pretty  stream.  At  this  point  they  took 
bateaus  for  Fort  Edward.  The  passage  was 
so  dangerous  at  this  point,  owing  to  the  rapids, 
that  Congress  had  put  the  transportation  into 
the  hands  of  a company  of  picked  men.  Thus 
provided,  it  took  four  hours  to  make  Fort 
Edward,  but  seven  miles  distant. 

The  fort  had  been  destroyed  by  fire  some 
time  before,  but  a regiment  was  encamped 
here,  and  the  travellers  dined  with  it  on  bears’ 
meat,  the  only  delicacy  it  had  to  offer.  From 
here  the  road  led  through  the  dense  forest, 
and  had  been  cut  by  the  artillery  into  such 
deep  ruts  that  not  more  than  a mile  an  hour 
could  be  made.  After  dining  at  Wing’s 
tavern,  the  journey  led  through  the  swamp, 
where  young  trees  had  been  cut  and  laid  in  a 
rude  corduroy  track  to  make  progress  possible. 
The  journey  was  full  of  painful  reminiscences. 
Here  was  Williams  Rock,  on  which  Colonel 
Ephraim  Williams  fell  when  with  his  detach- 
ment he  met  Baron  Dieskau’s  army  in  the 
rocky  defile,  the  old  sachem  Hendrick  by  his 

143 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


side.  A short  distance  from  Williams  Rock 
lay  Bloody  Pond,  a peaceful  lily-covered  pool, 
which  the  French  made  a sepulchre  for  the 
slaughtered  troops  on  the  fatal  day  that  Lord 
Howe  fell.  Their  blood  stained  its  waters 
for  many  a day,  tradition  said,  and  hence  its 
name.  For  many  years  the  spot  was  the  scene 
of  many  a dark  story.  In  one  of  the  poems  of 
the  day  the  heroine 

“ left  Saratoga  at  break  of  day 
Where  the  troops  of  Vaudreuil  with  dread  Indian  allies 
Scalped  hundreds  of  Britons  ta’en  there  by  surprise, 

And  dropped  there  as  she  passed  a tear.” 

The  journey  continued  through  the  Bloody 
Defile,  as  the  gorge  through  which  the  English 
army  retreated  was  subsequently  called.  Here 
the  savages  with  Montcalm,  disappointed  in 
the  terms  of  the  surrender,  fell  on  the  troops, 
butchered  and  carried  away  fifteen  hundred 
captive.  The  time  was  not  so  remote  that 
Catherine  Schuyler  could  have  forgotten  the 
anguish  and  distress  that  followed  Ticonde- 
roga,  and  the  improvised  hospital  in  the  great 
barn  of  The  Flatts.  Fort  George  was  at  length 
reached  and  a bateau  secured.  It  was  an  open 
boat,  an  awning  the  only  shelter  during  the 
chill  October  night,  a blanket  the  only  sail. 
Thus  in  time  the  lake  wras  traversed,  and  the 
wife  arrived  at  Ticonderoga,  where  her  lius- 

144 


THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  STRUGGLE 


band  lay.  Here  she  cared  for  him  until  he  was 
able  to  resume  his  duties,  and  then  hastened 
back  to  her  Albany  home.  General  Schuyler’s 
restoration  was  not  permanent.  In  December 
he  was  again  so  ill  that  he  petitioned  Congress 
to  appoint  General  Lee  in  his  place.  Leaving 
Montgomery  in  command,  he  returned  to 
Albany,  where  his  health  was  so  dangerously 
affected  that  prayers  for  his  recovery  were 
desired  by  Congress.  Everything  in  Albany 
was  now  devoted  to  caring  for  the  sick  man, 
whose  mind  as  well  as  body  was  sick  with  the 
disturbed  state  of  affairs.  It  had  required 
both  the  persuasions  of  the  Commander-in- 
Chief  and  of  Congress  to  keep  both  General 
Schuyler  and  Montgomery  from  resigning. 

Meanwhile  there  were  things  of  moment  at 
Albany,  which  sick  or  well  required  atten- 
tion. Captain  Mann,  one  of  Sir  John  John- 
son’s adherents,  had  summoned  the  inhabitants 
of  Scoharie  Valley  to  swear  allegiance  to 
George  III.  Day  after  day  the  farmers  and 
honest  yeomanry  were  obliged  to  parade  in 
red  caps  and  cockades,  as  much  of  a uniform 
as  the  enthusiastic  Captain  Mann  could  hastily 
get  together,  while  Neckus,  a Mohawk  chief, 
hastened  enrolment  with  his  upraised  toma- 
hawk. The  news  reached  Albany,  and  Cap- 
tain Woodhull,  with  a troop  of  horse,  was 

10  145 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


sent  by  the  General  to  disperse  this  unwilling 
Royal  army  and  allow  the  farmers  to  resume 
their  own  hats  and  caps.  Mann  fled,  but 
Neckus  was  captured  and  paid  the  penalty  of 
too  much  zeal.  A more  exciting  rumor  came 
on  the  heels  of  this  event.  Sir  John  Johnson 
was  said  to  be  arming  five  hundred  Indians  to 
assist  the  English  troops.  General  Schuyler 
rose  from  his  sick  bed,  and  calling  upon  the 
farmers  and  citizens,  with  this  improvised 
soldiery  went  to  Johnson  Hall,  where  the 
arms  were  captured  and  Sir  John  Johnson 
released  on  parole.  Danger  now  came  nearer 
home.  The  family  was  at  Saratoga,  and  a 
plot  was  formed  to  burn  the  house  and  murder 
the  master.  It  succeeded  so  far  that  an 
Indian  posted  near  the  house  with  his  arm 
raised  to  fire  on  the  General,  when  he  appeared, 
let  it  fall,  the  memory  of  past  favors  over- 
coming him.  “ I have  eaten  his  bread.  I 
cannot  kill  him,”  is  the  story  recorded. 

It  is  impossible  to  disentangle  a wife  whose 
husband  has  been  near  death  and  burdened 
with  responsibilities,  with  a large  family  and 
two  important  households,  from  the  quick 
succession  of  events  such  as  these.  Catherine 
Schuyler’s  life  was  one  of  constant  ministry. 
There  is  no  record  of  anything  ever  demanded 
for  herself,  although  there  is  every  evidence  of 

146 


THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  STRUGGLE 


the  gratitude  her  ministrations  and  self-sacri- 
fice called  forth.  To  these  troubles  was  added 
the  death  of  Montgomery  at  Quebec.  Aside 
from  the  lovableness  of  his  nature,  the  com- 
munity of  desires  and  sentiments  between  the 
two  men,  and  the  harmonious  relations  be- 
tween the  chief  and  his  subordinate,  the  wife 
of  General  Montgomery,  a daughter  of  Robert 
R.  Livingston,  was  a kinswoman,  and  his  loss 
was  not  more  a public  than  a private  grief. 
The  strain  of  this  situation,  felt  keenly  in  the 
Albany  home,  was  diverted  early  in  April  by 
the  visit  of  the  three  Commissioners  appointed 
by  Congress  to  visit  the  Army  of  the  North, 
in  response  to  the  entreaties  of  both  General 
Schuyler  and  Montgomery.  These  were 
Benjamin  Franklin,  Samuel  Chase,  Charles 
Carroll,  and  the  Rev.  John  Carroll,  his 
brother,  a Catholic  priest.  Charles  Carroll 
has  left  an  interesting  diary  of  this  trip, 
including  the  perils  of  the  trip  up  the  Hudson. 

The  Commissioners  started  with  the  inten- 
tion of  making  themselves  comfortable,  by 
taking  with  them  their  servants  and  their 
bedding.  They  left  New  York  with  their 
beds  and  servants  the  afternoon  of  April 
2d,  and  proceeded  only  as  far  as  Yonkers, 
where  they  were  obliged  to  cast  anchor  for 
the  night.  The  next  day’s  run  took  them 

147 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


to  St.  Anthony’s  Nose,  where  they  encoun- 
tered such  winds  that  they  split  their  main- 
sail, and  had  to  turn  back  and  lay  all  night 
and  the  next  day  at  anchor  in  Thunder 
Hill  Bay.  The  next  day  they  made  a fine 
run.  On  the  evening  of  the  fifth  day  they 
arrived  at  Albany,  where  General  Schuyler 
met  them  at  the  wharf,  and  took  them  to  his 
house.  “He  lives  in  pretty  style,  and  has 
two  daughters  Betsey  and  Peggy,  lively  agree- 
able gals,”  one  of  the  Commissioners  writes. 
The  next  morning  the  Commissioners,  Mrs. 
Schuyler,  and  the  two  girls  set  out  in  an  open 
wagon,  attended  by  General  Schuyler  on  horse- 
back, for  Saratoga.  The  journey  of  thirty-two 
miles  took  all  day.  Poor  Dr.  Franklin  was 
so  used  up  that  it  was  necessary  to  remain  at 
Saratoga  a week  to  allow  him  to  regain  suffi- 
cient strength  to  finish  his  journey.  He  was 
in  fact  in  such  straits  that  he  thought  it  might 
he  necessary  to  arrange  his  affairs  for  the  final 
journey.  He  writes  to  Josiah  Quincy  grate- 
fully of  the  care  of  “ good  Mrs.  Schuyler  in 
his  extremity.”  One  would  give  a good  deal 
for  a record  of  this  week  between  the  philoso- 
pher and  his  nurse.  In  the  mean  time  Charles 
Carroll,  gallant  even  to  old  age,  when  Josiah 
Quincy  describes  him  at  eighty  running  down 
the  steps  bareheaded  in  winter  to  open  the 

148 


THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  STRUGGLE 


carriage  door  for  a lady,  was  enjoying  liimself 
mightily,  and  confides  to  his  journal  that 
“ the  lively  behavior  of  the  young  ladies  makes 
Saratoga  a most  pleasing  sejour.” 

At  length  Franklin  was  able  to  resume  his 
journey,  and  the  Commissioners  rejoined 
General  Schuyler  at  Wing’s  Tavern  over  the 
same  road  Mrs.  Schuyler  had  so  painfully 
made  her  way  the  preceding  autumn.  The 
fatigues  of  this  journey,  the  voyage  down  the 
lake  in  an  exposed  boat,  and  the  jolting  over 
the  roads  to  Ticonderoga  were  too  much  for 
Franklin,  no  longer  young,  and  he  returned 
to  Albany,  where  he  placed  himself  again 
under  the  care  of  “good  Mrs.  Schuyler.”  In 
time  he  reached  New  York,  from  whence  he 
writes  to  the  General:  “We  arrived  here  safe 
yesterday  evening  in  your  Post-Chaise  driven 
by  Lewis.  I was  unwilling  to  have  given  so 
much  trouble,  and  would  have  borrowed  your 
sulkey  and  have  driven  myself,  but  good  Mrs. 
Schuyler  insisted  on  a full  compliance  with 
your  pleasure  as  signified  in  your  letter,  but 
I was  obliged  to  submit,  which  I afterwards 
was  glad  of,  part  of  the  road  being  very  stony 
and  much  gullied,  when  I should  have  prob- 
ably upset  and  broken  my  bones,  all  the 
dexterity  of  Lewis  [the  Schuyler  coachman] 
being  no  more  than  sufficient.” 

149 


X 


THE  BATTLE  OF  SARATOGA 

At  the  battle  of  Saratoga,  there  were  other 
triumphs  than  those  of  arms.  The  gold  medal 
presented  by  Congress  to  the  general  in  com- 
mand has  not  commemorated  this  event  in  so 
significant  a manner  as  certain  acts  of  courtesy 
and  disinterestedness  here  to  be  set  down. 
The  summer  previous,  General  Schuyler  had 
sent  word  to  his  wife  that  if  rumors  be  true, 
when  he  returned  home  it  would  not  be  as  the 
General  commanding  the  Army  of  the  North. 
To  this  his  secretary  replies  on  the  part  of  the 
family : “ All  well  and  only  waiting  the  pres- 

ence of  Philip  Schuyler,  Esq.  to  make  them 
happy.” 

General  Gates  was  ordered  to  Albany.  Im- 
mediately Mrs.  Schuyler,  with  that  courtesy  and 
nobility  of  mind  which  characterized  her  acts 
during  this  trying  period,  invited  General  Gates 
to  stop  at  her  house.  He  was  accompanied 
by  his  secretary  Jonathan  Trumbull,  arriving 

150 


THE  BATTLE  OF  SARATOGA 


after  a journey  of  between  seven  and  eight  days 
by  sloop.  “ The  General  landed  in  the  even- 
ing,” Trumbull  writes,  “ and  went  immediately 
to  visit  General  Schuyler  whom  we  found  with 
his  family  just  seated  at  supper.  I was  much 
struck  with  the  elegant  style  of  everything  I 
saw.”  The  next  morning,  they  started  for  the 
North.  Kumor,  however,  was  not  altogether 
correct.  General  Schuyler  was  still  in  com- 
mand. Ticonderoga  was  to  be  provisioned  and 
reinforced,  money  to  be  raised  to  pay  the  troops 
on  his  own  recognizance,  Congress  failing  to 
provide,  and  the  approach  of  Burgoyne  through 
the  thickets  and  across  the  bridgeless  streams, 
to  be  checked  by  disputing  every  inch  of  ground, 
and  making  it  impassable  for  his  artillery.  All 
these  duties  left  but  little  time  for  military 
politics,  which  were  none  the  less  active.  “ I 
will  find  elbow  room  at  Albany,”  Burgoyne 
consoled  himself,  as  his  army  painfully  made 
its  way  through  the  obstructed  defiles  and  over 
the  tortuous  roads.  Albany  realized  its  danger. 
The  army  being  out  of  ammunition,  General 
Schuyler  appealed  to  the  citizens,  who  stripped 
the  lead  from  their  roofs  and  windows  to  make 
into  bullets  for  their  defence.  The  mournful 
battle  of  Oriskany  brought  new  dangers  from 
St.  Leger  and  his  Indians.  The  murder  of 
Jane  McCrea  struck  terror  to  every  household. 

151 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


It  is  an  old  story,  and  has  been  told  in  many 
languages  with  many  accompaniments  of  ro- 
mantic detail.  Nothing,  however,  can  add  to 
the  pathos  of  the  simple  facts. 

Jane  McCrea  was  the  daughter  of  a Scotch 
Presbyterian  minister  of  Jersey  City,  then  visit- 
ing Mrs.  McNeill,  a Tory  friend  near  Fort 
Edward.  She  was  betrothed  to  one  of  the  Tory 
youth  of  the  neighborhood,  Lieutenant  Jones,  at 
that  time  with  Burgoyne’s  army.  On  the  ap- 
proach of  the  British  troops,  her  brother,  a 
patriot,  sent  for  her  to  come  to  Albany  ; but 
in  the  hope  of  meeting  her  lover  she  delayed, 
Mrs.  McNeill,  her  friend,  being  a cousin  of 
General  Fraser,  commanding  a corps  with  Bur- 
goyne.  On  the  morning  of  July  27th,  a negro 
boy  belonging  to  the  house  saw  some  Indians 
hiding  among  the  bushes.  He  gave  the  alarm, 
and  the  two  women  with  the  negro  nurse  and 
the  children  fled  to  the  cellar.  Here  the 
Indians  found  them,  the  negro  woman  and  the 
children  in  the  darkness  escaping  detection. 
With  the  two  women,  the  Indians  started  for 
Burgoyne’s  camp.  Finding  they  were  pursued 
by  a rescue  party  from  the  fort,  Jenny  was 
placed  on  a horse  in  waiting,  and  Mrs.  McNeill, 
dragged  away  by  her  captors  to  a safe  distance, 
was  stripped  to  her  chemise  and  led  to  the 
British  camp.  The  fate  of  Jenny  was  soon 

152 


TEE  BATTLE  OF  SARATOGA 


learned  by  the  return  of  the  savages,  holding 
for  ransom  her  bleeding  scalp.  Her  body  was 
found  by  the  Americans  lying  naked  under  the 
old  pine-tree  near  Fort  Edward,  which  so  long 
as  it  stood  recorded  the  numerous  pilgrimages 
made  to  the  melancholy  spot.  In  1826,  the 
body  of  Jane  McCrea  was  taken  up  and  rein- 
terred, followed  by  a long  train  of  young  men 
and  women  with  touching  funeral  ceremonies. 
She  now  lies  beside  the  body  of  her  friend,  Mrs. 
McNeill.  Her  lover  purchased  her  scalp,  and 
deserting  the  army  retired  to  Canada,  where 
he  lived  to  old  age,  avoiding  as  far  as  possible 
all  communication  with  his  fellow  creatures. 

The  excitement  at  Albany  over  the  murder 
of  Jane  McCrea  was  intense.  The  roads  were 
filled  with  fleeing  households,  among  them,  suf- 
fering terrible  privations,  Eliza  Ann  Bleeker, 
the  poetess,  with  her  children,  one  dying  by  the 
way.  The  country  home  at  Saratoga  lay  in 
the  path  of  the  army.  Catherine  Schuyler, 
always  unobtrusive  when  not  called  upon  for 
action,  had  the  quiet  determination  and  execu- 
tive capacity  of  a trained  and  orderly  mind. 
Saratoga  was  filled  with  things  dear  to  her 
housekeeper’s  heart.  These  she  determined  to 
rescue  before  the  army  arrived.  Putting  aside 
entreaties  and  tales  of  danger,  she  set  out  on 
her  perilous  journey  from  Albany,  accompanied 

153 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


by  only  one  armed  man.  On  the  road  she  met 
the  fugitives,  the  murder  of  Jane  McCrea  on 
every  lip,  and  each  entreating  her  to  turn  back, 
for  Mrs.  Schuyler  was  known  to  every  one. 
“ A general’s  wife  should  not  know  fear,”  she 
answered,  and  pressed  on. 

Saratoga  was  in  its  summer  luxuriance.  It 
perhaps  never  looked  fairer  to  its  mistress’s 
eye  than  now.  On  the  flats  below,  lay  the  rich 
fields  of  ripening  grain.  General  Schuyler  had 
warned  her  not  to  allow  anything  of  value  to  fall 
into  the  hands  of  the  British  troops.  She  de- 
termined to  fire  the  fields.  Taking  with  her  a 
negro  to  wield  the  torch,  she  descended  to  the 
flats  below.  Here  the  black’s  courage  failed 
him.  “ Very  well,  if  you  will  not  do  it,  I must 
do  it  myself.”  While  he  clung  to  her,  crying, 
“ Missy,  don’t,  Missy,  don’t,”  she  flung  the  blaz- 
ing torches  right  and  left  among  the  grain,  and 
the  labor  of  months  was  destroyed.  There  is 
an  engraving  of  this  incident,  after  a painting 
by  Leutze,  which  occasionally  drifts  into  view. 
The  painting  cannot  be  traced.  With  her  val- 
uables Mrs.  Schuyler  retook  her  journey  and 
arrived  safely  at  Albany.  But  there  were 
other  trials  in  store,  and  borne  with  the  same 
composure  of  mind.  Three  days  after  the 
battle  of  Bennington,  General  Schuyler  was 
about  to  mount  his  horse  to  take  charge  of  the 

154 


THE  BATTLE  OF  SARATOGA 


troops  going  in  defence  of  Fort  Schuyler,  when 
General  Gates  arrived,  presenting  an  order 
from  Congress  directing  the  command  of  the 
army  to  be  turned  over  to  himself. 

The  evacuation  of  Ticonderoga  by  St.  Clair 
had  assisted  the  intriguers  against  General 
Schuyler  in  Congress  and  without.  Of  these 
he  had  been  warned  by  John  Jay,  William 
Duer,  and  Gouverneur  Morris  in  a characteris- 
tic bit  of  advice.  “ You  know  Congress  like 
an  hysterical  woman  wants  cordials.  Write 
truths  without  making  any  reflections  of  your 
own,”  alluding  to  the  General’s  strictures  on 
the  supreme  authority  for  its  treatment  of  Dr. 
Stringer  in  the  medical  department,  he  being 
the  family  physician  who,  having  brought  into 
the  world  General  Schuyler’s  thriving  family, 
had  earned  gratitude  thereby. 

The  supreme  virtue  of  good  taste  has  rarely 
had  more  perfect  illustration  than  in  these  try- 
ing events.  Turning  to  General  Gates,  the 
retiring  commander  put  his  knowledge  of  the 
condition  and  the  resources  of  the  army  into 
his  successor’s  hands,  adding : “I  have  done 
all  that  could  be  done  so  far  as  the  means  were 
in  my  power  to  injure  the  enemy  and  to  inspire 
confidence  in  the  soldiers  of  our  own  army, 
and  I flatter  myself  with  some  success  ; but  the 
palm  of  victory  is  denied  me  and  it  is  left  to 

1 55 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


you,  general,  to  reap  the  fruits  of  my  labors.  I 
will  not  fail,  however,  to  second  your  views ; 
and  my  devotion  to  my  country  will  cause  me 
with  alacrity  to  obey  your  orders.”  To  Con- 
gress he  wrote  : “ I am  sensible  of  the  indig- 

nity of  being  ordered  from  the  command  of 
the  army  when  an  engagement  must  soon  take 
place,”  but  to  Washington  lie  adds:  “I  shall 
go  on  doing  my  duty  and  endeavoring  to  de- 
serve your  esteem.”  Of  this  scene,  Wilkinson 
writes,  “ I loved  Gates  but  I loved  justice  bet- 
ter and  my  heart  bled  for  Schuyler  obliged  to 
resign  the  fruits  of  his  labors  and  sorrowfully 
lay  down  his  command.” 

At  Albany  the  indignity  was  keenly  felt,  but 
no  expression  was  allowed  to  assert  itself  above 
the  general  welfare,  now  of  supreme  importance. 
The  story  of  the  battle  of  Saratoga  is  too  well 
known  to  require  repetition  here.  “ The  even- 
ing before  the  battle,”  wrote  one  of  the  Hes- 
sian officers,  “ Schuyler’s  home  was  illuminated 
with  singing  and  laughter  and  the  jingling  of 
glasses.  There  Burgoyne  was  seated  with 
merry  companions  at  a dainty  supper  at  which 
the  champagne  was  flowing.”  On  the  next  day 
the  house  and  mills  were  burned  by  the  British 
commander  on  the  pretext  that  they  sheltered 
the  American  troops  from  the  fire  of  his  artil- 
lery. With  Burgoyne’s  army  were  a number 
156 


THE  BATTLE  OF  SARATOGA 


of  the  wives  of  officers.  Among  them  was 
Lady  Harriet  Ackland,  the  sister  of  that  high- 
spirited  Lady  Susan  O’Brien,  who  had  eloped 
with  the  actor  and  visited  Johnson  Hall  a few 
years  before.  Another  was  the  Baroness  Ried- 
esel,  the  wife  of  the  Commander  of  the  Hano- 
verian troops  in  Burgoyne’s  army.  Lady  Har- 
riet Ackland  was  the  wife  of  a major  of 
grenadiers,  who  was  wounded  and  captured,  and 
her  story  is  full  of  romance.  It  is  worth  relat- 
ing here  that  Major  Ackland’s  gratitude  for 
the  kindness  he  and  his  wife  then  received 
ultimately  caused  his  death,  since  he  was  killed 
in  a duel  for  speaking  in  defence  of  the  Ameri- 
cans after  his  return  home. 

The  Baroness  Riedesel  is  the  most  interest- 
ing historian  that  the  battle  has  produced,  and 
with  her  account  we  have  something  to  do. 
General  Schuyler  remained  with  the  army  after 
he  was  superseded  by  Gates,  but  his  citizen’s 
clothes  denoted  the  absence  of  rank.  It  is  a 
pleasure  here  to  recount  Baroness  Riedesel’s 
simple  narrative : — 

“Mv  husband  sent  a message  for  me  to  come 
over  to  him  with  my  children.  I seated  myself 
once  more  in  my  dear  caleche  and  then  rode  through 
the  American  camp.  As  I passed  I observed,  and 
this  was  a great  comfort  to  me,  that  no  one  eyed 
me  with  looks  of  resentment,  but  they  all  greeted 
157 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


ns,  and  even  showed  compassion  in  their  counte- 
nances at  the  sight  of  a woman  with  small  children. 
I was  I confess  it  afraid  to  go  over  to  the  enemy, 
as  it  was  quite  a new  sensation  to  me.  When 
I drew  near  the  tents  a handsome  man  approached 
and  met  me,  took  my  children  from  the  caleclie, 
and  hugged  and  kissed  them,  which  affected  me 
almost  to  tears.  ‘You  tremble,’  he  said,  addressing 
me, ‘be  not  afraid.’  ‘No,’  I answered,  ‘You  seem  so 
kind  and  tender  to  my  children  it  inspires  me  with 
courage.’  He  now  led  me  to  the  tent  of  General 
Gates,  where  I found  General  Burgoyne  and  Phil- 
lips, who  were  on  a friendly  footing  with  the 
former.  Burgoyne  now  said  to  me,  ‘ Never  mind. 
Now  all  your  sorrows  have  an  end.’  I answered 
that  I should  be  reprehensible  to  have  any  cares  as 
he  had  none;  and  I was  pleased  to  see  him  on  such 
a friendly  footing  with  General  Gates. 

“The  same  gentleman  who  had  received  me  so 
kindly  now  came  to  me  and  said,  ‘You  will  be 
embarassed  to  eat  with  all  these  gentlemen;  come 
with  your  children  to  my  tent,  where  I will  pre- 
pare you  a frugal  dinner  and  give  it  to  you  with 
a free  will.’  I said,  ‘You  are  certainly  a hus- 
band and  a father  you  have  shown  me  so  much 
kindness.’ 

“I  now  found  that  he  was  General  Schuyler. 
He  treated  me  with  excellent  smoked  tongue,  beef- 
steaks, potatoes  and  good  bread  and  butter.  I never 
could  have  wished  to  eat  a better  dinner;  I was 
content;  I saw  all  around  me  were  so  likewise; 

158 


THE  BATTLE  OF  SARATOGA 


and,  what  was  better  than  all  my  husband  was 
out  of  danger. 

“When  we  had  dined  he  told  me  that  his  resi- 
dence was  in  Albany,  and  that  General  Burgoyne 
intended  to  honor  him  as  a guest,  and  invited 
myself  and  my  children  to  do  likewise.  I asked  my 
husband  how  to  act;  and  he  told  me  to  accept  the 
invitation  As  it  was  two  days  journey  there  he 
advised  me  to  go  to  a place  which  was  three  hours 
distant. 

“Some  days  after  this  we  arrived  at  Albany; 
where  we  so  often  wished  ourselves;  but  we  did 
not  enter  it  as  we  wished  ourselves  — victors.  We 
were  received  by  the  good  General  Schuyler,  his 
wife  and  daughters,  not  as  enemies  but  as  kind 
friends;  and  they  treated  us  with  the  most  marked 
politeness,  as  they  did  General  Burgoyne  who  had 
caused  their  beautifully  finished  house  to  be  burned. 
In  fact  they  all  behaved  like  persons  of  exalted 
minds,  who  determined  to  bury  all  recollections  of 
their  own  injuries  in  contemplation  of  our  misfor- 
tunes. General  Burgoyne  was  struck  with  General 
Schuyler’s  generosity,  and  said  to  him,  ‘ You  show 
us  great  kindness,  though  I have  done  you  so  much 
injury.’  ‘That  was  the  fate  of  war,’  replied  the 
brave  man.  ‘Let  us  say  no  more  about  it.’  ” 

General  Burgoyne’s  brief  testimony  is  no 
less  convincing. 

‘ ‘ The  first  person  I saw  after  the  convention  was 
signed  was  General  Schuyler.  I expressed  my 
159 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


regret  at  the  event  which  had  happened,  and  the 
reasons  which  had  occasioned  it.  He  desired  me  to 
think  no  more  about  it;  said  the  occasion  justified 
it,  according  to  the  rules  and  principles  of  war  and 
he  should  have  done  the  same.  He  did  more  he 
sent  an  aide  de  camp  to  conduct  me  to  Albany  in 
order  as  he  expressed  it  to  procure  me  better  quar- 
ters than  a stranger  might  be  able  to  find.  This 
gentleman  conducted  me  to  a very  elegant  house 
and,  to  my  great  surprise,  introduced  me  to  Mrs. 
Schuyler  and  her  family;  and  in  this  house  I re- 
mained during  my  whole  stay  in  Albany,  with 
a table  of  twenty  covers  for  me  and  my  friends, 
and  every  demonstration  of  hospitality.” 

That  nobility  of  mind  and  distinguished 
courtesy,  remarked  by  every  historian  and 
traveller  who  has  related  these  incidents,  would 
have  been  ineffective  but  for  the  social  general- 
ship of  the  mistress  of  the  household,  suddenly 
obliged  to  call  upon  all  the  resources  of  her 
household  to  entertain  a company  of  such 
quality  and  such  size.  “ Generals  Burgoyne 
and  Riedesel  are  all  here  with  their  retinues,” 
writes  Richard  Yarick,  the  aide  who  accom- 
panied them  to  Albany,  “ and  they  give  Mrs. 
Schuyler  no  small  trouble.  The  former’s  des- 
patches are  not  yet  completed.  On  Saturday 
he  mentioned  to  Mrs.  Schuyler  with  tears  in 
his  eyes,  his  situation,  and  that  he  had  re- 
160 


THE  BATTLE  OF  SARATOGA 


ceived  so  much  civility  from  you,  and  again 
from  Mrs.  Schuyler,  whose  property  he  had 
destroyed,  but  pleaded  that  he  thought  it  ne- 
cessary to  save  the  army.  He  behaves  with 
great  politeness.”  This  politeness  under  the 
circumstances  seems  scarcely  surprising.  But 
Burgoyne  had  an  unenviable  reputation  among 
the  housewives,  according  to  Mrs.  Abigail 
Adams,  who  tells  how  he  spoiled  mahogany 
tables  of  her  friends  by  cutting  up  meat  oil 
them,  and  exposed  their  best  damask  curtains 
to  the  rain. 

There  are  other  troubles  and  annoyances,  not 
historic  perhaps  but  important  to  the  economy 
of  the  household,  and  pertain  to  these  hospi- 
talities. Varick  writes  : “ The  riflemen  and 
Light  Infantry  encamped  on  the  hill  back  of 
the  house  render  the  tenure  on  which  the 
potatoes  are  held  exceedingly  precarious. 
General  Burgoyne’s  suite  and  visitors  have  en- 
tirely discomposed  the  economy  of  the  family 
and  have  given  no  small  trouble  to  Mrs. 
Schuyler.  They  will  remain  until  Wednes- 
day.” Shortly  after,  another  letter  adds,  “ Mary 
is  much  at  a loss  to  know  what  to  do  with  the 
cows,  which  are  daily  milked  bjr  some  rascals 
before  the  men  get  to  them  which  she  sends 
for  the  purpose.”  Twenty  visitors  and  “ras- 
cals ” stealing  the  milk  ! 

11  161 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


To  these  details  the  Marquis  de  Chastellux 
adds  other  interesting  information  concerning: 
a visit  which  finds  no  parallel  in  the  history 
of  war. 

“Burgoyne  was  extremely  well  received  by  Mrs 
Schuyler  and  her  little  family.  He  was  lodged 
in  the  best  apartment  in  the  house.  An  excel- 
lent supper  was  served  him  in  the  evening,  the 
honors  of  which  were  done  with  so  much  grace, 
that  he  was  affected  even  to  tears,  and  could  not 
help  saying  with  a deep  sigh,  ‘ Indeed  this  is 
doing  too  much  for  a man  who  has  ravaged  their 
lands,  and  burnt  their  home.’  The  next  morning 
he  was  reminded  of  his  misfortunes  by  an  incident 
that  would  have  amused  any  one  else.  His  bed 
was  prepared  in  a large  room,  but  as  he  had  a 
numerous  suite  several  mattresses  were  laid  on 
the  floor  for  some  officers  to  sleep  near  him,  Schuy- 
lers  second  son,  a little  fellow  of  seven  years  old 
very  arch  and  forward  as  all  the  American  children 
are,  but  very  amiable,  running  about  the  house  all 
morning  opened  the  door  and  seeing  all  the  Eng- 
lish collected  shut  it  after  him  exclaiming  ‘ Ye  are 
all  my  prisoners.’  This  innocent  cruelty  rendered 
them  more  melancholy  than  before.” 

There  were  other  innocent  prattlers  in  the 
house  recorded  by  Walter  Rutherford,  whose 
conversation  reflects  some  light  on  the  hopes  that 
lured  the  Hessians  to  ally  themselves  with  what 
162 


THE  BATTLE  OF  SARATOGA 


was  not  expected  to  be  a losing  cause.  With  the 
Baroness  Riedesel  were  two  little  girls,  Caro- 
line and  Frederica.  Impressed  with  the  ele- 
gance of  the  house  and  its  surroundings,  doubt- 
less the  more  so  after  the  privations  of  camp 
and  the  miseries  they  have  passed  through,  the 
eldest  girl,  twitching  at  her  mother’s  sleeve, 
exclaimed,  “ Mother,  mother,  is  this  the  palace 
father  was  to  have  when  he  came  to  America  ? ” 
It  would  be  interesting  to  have  a familiar  record 
of  these  little  Hanoverians  and  the  irrepressible 
Van  Rensselaer,  whose  pranks  diversify  the 
correspondence  of  the  General’s  aides,  but  the 
details  so  far  as  they  are  known  come  almost 
altogether  from  the  foreigners,  the  family  cor- 
respondence being  singularly  restrained.  Six 
years  later,  on  the  eve  of  the  return  of  General 
Riedesel  to  Germany,  he  expresses  once  more, 
in  declining  a visit  to  Saratoga  in  June,  his 
thanks  for  the  civilities  his  family  and  him- 
self then  received,  with  the  hope  of  returning 
them  in  Germany. 

Of  all  the  battles  of  the  Revolution  none  has 
excited  such  widespread  interest.  For  many 
years  the  field  of  Saratoga  was  the  pilgrimage 
of  every  distinguished  visitor  to  this  country, 
and  the  host  and  hostess  have  become  insepar- 
ably connected  with  the  first  brilliant  triumph 
of  the  American  arms.  Chastellux,  Brissot  de 

163 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


Warville,  and  de  Rocliefoucauld-Liancourt  have 
each  left  interesting  records  of  their  visits  and 
of  the  hospitality  they  experienced.  The  visit 
of  Chastellux  was  made  in  winter,  and  illus- 
trates the  differences  of  travel  at  the  time. 
He  was  accompanied  by  Count  de  Hamas  and 
Viscount  de  Noailles,  fresh  from  fiddling  for 
the  Philadelphia  girls  to  dance,  after  listening 
to  Miss  Shippen  sing  and  Miss  Rutledge  play 
on  the  harpsichord.  Count  de  Damas  had 
preceded  the  rest  of  the  party,  which  was 
stopped  by  the  ice  and  had  to  put  up  at  some 
wretched  ale-house  while  he  was  enjoying  the 
comfortable  cheer  at  General  Schuyler’s.  At 
length  they  reached  the  town.  “ Chevalier 
was  waiting  with  the  General’s  sledge,”  Chas- 
tellux continues,  “ and  we  were  conveyed 
speedily  into  a handsome  salon  near  a good 
fire  with  Mr  Schuyler,  his  wife  and  daughters. 
Whilst  we  were  warming  ourselves  dinner  was 
served  to  which  every  one  did  honor,  as  well  as 
to  the  Madeira  which  was  excellent  and  made 
us  forget  the  rigors  of  the  season  and  the 
fatigues  of  the  journey.  General  Schuyler’s 
family  is  composed  of  Mrs  Hamilton,  his  second 
daughter,  who  has  a mild  agreeable  counten- 
ance ; of  Miss  Peggy  Schuyler,  whose  features 
are  animated  and  striking ; of  another  charm- 
ing girl  only  eight  years  old  and  of  three  boys, 

164 


THE  BATTLE  OF  SARATOGA 


the  eldest  of  whom  is  fifteen  and  are  the  hand- 
somest children  you  can  see.” 

The  charming  girl  of  eight  was  Cornelia, 
who  was  added  to  the  family  in  the  year  of  In- 
dependence, and  whose  father  piously  records 
her  birth  with  the  prayer  “ Bless  her  0 Lord 
and  give  her  Peace.”  The  third  son  was  named 
Van  Rensselaer,  and  at  the  time  was  sis  years 
old.  The  French  visitors  stayed  several  days  at 
Albany,  the  Viscount  and  de  Chastellux  going 
over  the  details  of  the  campaign  with  General 
Schuyler  in  the  library,  while  the  younger 
members  stayed  in  the  drawing-room  with  Mrs. 
Schuyler  and  her  daughters,  who  we  have 
reason  to  know  were  lively  company. 

The  house  at  Saratoga  had  been  rebuilt  im- 
mediately after  the  battle.  A detail  from 
Gates’s  army  had  been  set  to  work.  Henry 
Livingston,  aide-de-camp,  writes  of  sending 
down  blacksmiths  under  guard  to  ensure  them 
getting  there.  There  are  hurried  calls  for 
chimney  irons  and  other  necessary  articles. 
In  fifteen  days,  we  are  told,  the  trees  were  cut 
down,  the  lumber  sawed  out,  and  the  house 
erected.  A new  record  of  hospitality  was 
begun,  and  also  a new  record  of  perils.  Two 
years  before  the  visit  of  the  Frenchmen  Gov- 
ernor Clinton  tells  of  spending  two  evenings 
at  Saratoga,  the  family  well  though  somewhat 

165 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


in  fear,  “ however  they  had  taken  precautions 
against  the  worst.”  The  French  visitors  now 
set  out  in  five  sledges,  General  Schuyler  accom- 
panying them.  The  Hudson  was  frozen  over, 
and  for  a mile  they  went  on  the  ice,  when 
Major  Popham,  who  was  escorting  them,  had 
the  misfortune  to  have  his  horses  break  through 
the  ice.  This  was  not  an  unusual  occurrence. 
General  Knox,  once  visiting  the  Schuylers, 
suffered  the  same  calamity.  The  method  of 
rescue  by  poles  under  the  horses  and  prying 
them  out  of  the  water  was  the  same,  and  full 
of  interest  to  the  Frenchman,  who  describes  it 
in  detail.  They  first  made  their  way  through 
the  dense  pine  forest  to  Schenectady,  then 
celebrated  for  its  Indian  massacre,  and  its 
name,  which  baffled  all  the  penmen  of  the  day. 
From  thence  they  returned  to  Saratoga,  where 
fires  were  set  roaring,  and  the  travellers  were 
up  until  all  hours  in  agreeable  conversation  to 
the  clinking  of  glasses,  “ for,”  and  Chastellux 
makes  this  strange  statement,  “ General  Schuy- 
ler like  many  European  husbands  is  still  better 
company  when  away  from  his  family.” 


166 


XI 


CAMPAIGNING  AT  MORRISTOWN 

It  is  agreeable  to  discover  how  much  gayety 
accompanied  the  privations  of  the  Bevolution. 
If  our  forefathers  bled  and  suffered,  they  also 
danced  and  feasted.  Nor  were  our  foremothers 
less  light  of  heart  and  foot.  Our  own  civil  war 
was  a gloomy  function  compared  with  the  war 
of  ’76.  The  military  letters  of  the  young  aides- 
de-camp  are  enlivened  with  the  gayety  and 
gossip  of  the  war.  Even  amid  the  gloom  of 
Valley  Forge  there  were  tea  drinkings  from 
cabin  to  cabin,  dinners  of  compliment  to  the 
visiting  foreigners,  and  rallies  in  barracks 
“ when  everybody  who  could  sing,  sang.”  No 
sooner  was  the  army  in  winter  quarters  when 
the  ladies  began  to  appear.  Babies  were  born 
in  camp ; children  died  and  were  buried  there. 
Mrs.  Washington  did  not  delay  to  make  her 
appearance  at  Cambridge  at  the  beginning  of 
the  war  in  a coach  and  four,  with  postilions  in 
scarlet  and  white.  Lucy  Knox  followed  the 
camp-fire  as  certainly  as  the  drum.  Mrs. 

167 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


Greene  always  enlivened  headquarters,  usually 
with  a pretty  girl  or  two  in  her  train.  Mrs. 
Gates  with  her  English  riding  habit,  whose 
mannish  cut  at  first  scandalized  the  camp  a 
little,  would  be  there  with  Bob,  the  only  well- 
beloved  son. 

Here  is  the  brief  record  of  a week  at  Morris- 
town : — 

“Yesterday  a Christmas  dinner  in  compliment 
to  the  Washingtons  at  the  Chevaliers.  Next 
Thursday  he  gives  a ball  to  thirty  ladies;  tomorrow 
another  at  Mrs  Holkers.  His  Excellency  intends 
having  concerts  once  a week  at  his  house,  he  enter- 
taining generally  with  elegance.  I have  seen  him 
wear  cloathes  of  the  Countess  de  Lauzun  work, 
which  does  that  lady  great  honor.  Last  Thursday 
the  Assemblies  commenced  & there  are  private 
dances  one  a week;  Tomorrow  there  is  one  at  the 
City  Tavern.” 

There  is  a record  of  a dinner  given  by 
General  Knox  at  Pluckemin  in  honor  of  the 
French  alliance.  It  was  served  at  four,  and 
for  dessert  the  servant  strewed  the  cloth  with 
cherries  and  strawberries.  In  the  evening 
there  were  symbolic  fireworks,  and  after  those 
a ball  in  which  General  Washington  led  out 
Mrs.  Knox.  At  West  Point  the  garrison  with 
General  Malcolm,  and  notably  his  sprightly 
wife,  who  led  the  charmed  hosts  to  visit  Mc- 
168 


CAMPAIGNING  AT  MORRISTOWN 


Dougall  in  prison,  was  distinguished  for  the 
beauty  of  its  entertainments.  Engineer  Yille- 
franche  of  the  French  army  for  one  of  the  fetes 
built  an  arbor  sis  hundred  feet  long  and  thirty 
feet  wide  out  of  cedar-trees  cut  for  the  purpose. 
These  were  roofed  with  green  branches,  and  the 
forty-eight  pillars  that  supported  it  were  sur- 
rounded by  stacked  muskets  and  wreathed  with 
cedar.  In  this  arbor  tables  were  set  for  feast- 
ing. Afterward  there  was  a dance  on  the 
grass,  the  Commander-in-Chief  and  the  large 
but  light-footed  Mrs.  Knos  dancing  down  twenty 
couples. 

The  most  brilliant  social  season  of  the  army 
of  the  Revolution  was  at  Morristown,  the 
winter  of  ’79  and  ’80.  It  was  a pleasant  region, 
as  we  know  it  to-day,  and  the  society  of  the 
county  made  a fine  background  for  the  mili- 
tary and  foreign  notables  brought  there  by 
the  exigencies  of  the  war.  At  Baskingridge 
was  the  stately  home  of  Lord  Stirling,  whose 
daughters,  Lady  Kitty  and  Lady  Mary,  were 
among  the  belles  of  the  time.  Near  by  was 
Liberty  Hall,  the  home  of  Governor  Livingston 
and  his  bevy  of  girls,  whose  names  recur  in 
every  story  of  camp  gayety.  Sarah,  the  eldest, 
was  married  to  John  Jay,  then  Minister  at 
Madrid,  and  in  the  lively  letters  of  her  sister 
Kitty  we  are  kept  informed  of  the  doings  in 

169 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


camp.  In  the  same  neighborhood  was  the 
home  of  the  rich  merchant  John  Morton, 
whose  daughter  Eliza  afterward  married  Josiah 
Quincy  in  great  state,  and  of  whose  younger 
brother,  Washington,  we  are  yet  to  hear  more. 
Petted  by  everybody  was  Susan  Boudinot, 
a charming  girl  of  fourteen,  the  daughter  of 
Elias  Boudinot,  “ my  one  ewe  lamb,”  as  her 
father  called  her.  Nor  must  be  forgotten  her 
aunt,  Annis  Stockton,  who  read  Cowley  and 
Young’s  Night  Thoughts,  who  quoted  Dods- 
worth  and  Milton,  who  owned  engravings  of 
Claude,  and  who  wrote  poetry  herself  about 
the  victories  and  virtues  of  the  Commander-in- 
Chief,  which  brought  out  some  of  his  most 
interesting  correspondence.  There  were  also 
the  daughters  of  Abraham  Lott,  “ four  or  five 
young  ladies  of  delicate  sentiments  and  polite 
education,”  as  described  by  General  Greene  to 
his  wife. 

“ General  Green  is  at  Arnolds,  General  Knox 
at  Duchmans,  General  Smallwood  at  Kembles, 
General  Gates  at  Chatham,”  writes  Kitty  Liv- 
ingston to  her  sister.  Headquarters  was  at 
the  old  Ford  House.  Mrs.  Washington,  who 
once  said  that  she  always  heard  the  first  and 
last  guns  of  every  campaign,  arrived  in  her 
usual  state,  but  so  plainly  attired  that  when 
she  first  alighted  from  her  coach,  her  dignity 

170 


CAMPAIGNING  AT  MORRISTOWN 


was  mistaken.  The  ladies  of  the  neighbor- 
hood made  haste  to  pay  their  duty.  Arrayed 
in  their  finest  clothes  they  called  in  a body. 
They  found  “ the  Generals  Lady  ” in  a speckled 
homespun  apron,  knitting  stockings.  She  re- 
marked that  while  their  husbands  were  exam- 
ples of  patriotism,  all  wives  should  be  examples 
of  industry.  In  illustration  she  showed  them 
a dress  she  had  made  out  of  the  ravellings  of 
an  old  brocaded  red  satin  set  of  chairs,  woven 
in  alternate  stripes  of  red  silk  and  white  cotton. 
She  was  not  much  of  a talker,  but  liked  to  tell 
of  her  home  life  and  the  sixteen  spinning  wheels 
she  kept  running. 

“ Headquarters  was  always  the  last  place  for 
mirth,”  writes  Captain  Ben  Walker  to  General 
Steuben.  “ You  know  with  what  reserve  the 
General  conducts  himself  with  those  in  much 
higher  station  than  myself,  will  hardly  suppose 
he  enters  into  conversation  with  me  except  at 
table.  His  inquiries  there  are  confined  to  ask- 
ing, 4 Have  you  heard  from  the  Baron  to-day  ? ’ ” 
He  gives  an  amusing  account  of  his  games  of 
chess  with  Mrs.  Washington  in  the  evening, 
“ one  thinking  too  much  of  her  home  ; the 
other  making  verses  to  himself  during  the 
play  and  waiting  for  a chance  to  slip  away  and 
seek  some  neighbor’s  daughter  pour  passer  le 
temps''  This  was  at  West  Point.  At  Mor- 

171 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


ristown  the  household  was  more  brilliantly 
organized.  Here  the  two  aides-de-camp  were 
Alexander  Hamilton,  young,  handsome,  bril- 
liant, with  the  complexion  of  a girl  and  the 
distinguished  air  of  a man  of  the  world,  and 
Tench  Tilghman,  the  gallant  young  Marylander, 
something  of  whose  social  qualities  we  already 
know.  These  young  men  occupied  the  ends  of 
the  table,  the  General  and  Mrs.  Washington 
seated  opposite  one  another  in  the  middle. 
There  were  almost  always  guests  disposed  be- 
tween, and  the  burden  of  the  entertainment 
was  undertaken  by  the  young  men.  Another 
of  this  group  of  young  men  was  William  Col- 
fax, the  captain  of  Washington’s  body-guard, 
a company  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  picked 
men.  He  was  a fine  young  fellow,  for  whom 
Mrs.  Washington  showed  her  partiality  by 
knitting  him  a linen  bag  for  his  queue,  at  that 
time  an  object  of  much  solicitude  to  young- 
men.  He  was  singled  out  also  in  another  di- 
rection. It  was  not  a long  distance  over  the 
Jersey  hills  to  Colonel  Arent  Schuyler’s,  where 
a dark-eyed  Hester  awaited  his  coming.  They 
were  subsequently  married,  and  thus  became 
the  ancestors  of  Schuyler  Colfax,  afterwards 
Vice-President  of  the  United  States.  A fourth 
was  a slender,  fiery-eyed  stripling  who  had 
already  distinguished  himself  in  Canada.  His 


CAMPAIGNING  AT  MORRISTOWN 


name  was  Aaron  Burr,  whose  father,  the  Rev. 
Aaron  Burr,  and  mother,  the  beautiful  Esther 
Edwards,  lived  at  the  College  of  New  Jersey, 
of  which  the  Reverend  Aaron  was  president, 
in  Prince  Town  village.  But  “ the  bright  par- 
ticular star  was  Hamilton,”  writes  a contem- 
porary. The  news  of  the  American  camp 
drifted  over  to  New  York,  then  in  the  hands  of 
the  British,  and  was  commented  on  in  kind  in 
Rivington’s  “ Gazette  ” : — 

“Mrs  Washington  has  a mottled  tom-cat  (which 
she  calls  in  a complimentary  way,  Hamilton)  with 
thirteen  stripes  around  the  tail,  and  its  flaunting 
suggested  to  Congress  the  thirteen  stripes  for  the 
flag.” 

The  military  family  was  reinforced  by  the 
presence  of  the  Duke  de  Lauzun  with  his  six 
hundred  hussars,  picked  men,  in  uniforms  the 
splendor  of  which  gave  many  a young  Conti- 
nental a jealous  pang.  Nor  behind  these  in 
splendor  and  gallantry  was  Baron  Steuben, 
gay,  witty,  covered  with  foreign  orders,  speak- 
ing delightfully  bad  English,  and  the  personifi- 
cation of  a social  Mars.  If  he  recommends  a 
boarding-house  lie  is  apt  to  add,  “ vous  trouvez 
une  jeune  veuve  charmante,”  or  some  young 
lady  “ with  a beautiful  waist,  a reason  the  more 
for  you  to  hurry  your  departure.”  To  him  his 
173 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


aides  confide  their  love  affairs,  confident  in  the 
advice  of  such  a veteran. 

For  a brief  time  the  lion  of  the  camp  was  a 
Spanish  grandee,  Don  Juan  Mirralles,  who  had 
come  over  with  the  French  Minister,  M.  Gerard, 
to  visit  the  new  nation.  All  the  resources  of 
the  camp  were  brought  forward  to  do  him 
honor.  The  ball  went  on  at  Morris’s  Hotel, 
but  the  guest  could  not  be  present,  being  laid 
up  with  a cold  on  his  lungs.  It  proved  fatal, 
and  he  himself  furnished  in  his  funeral  a finer 
pageant  than  the  review. 

“The  corpse  was  dressed  in  rich  state  and  ex- 
posed to  public  view,  as  is  customary  in  Europe. 
The  coffin  was  most  splendid  and  stately,  lined 
throughout  with  cambric,  and  covered  on  the  out- 
side with  black  velvet,  ornamented  in  a superb 
manner.  The  top  of  the  coffin  was  removed  to  dis- 
play the  pomp  and  grandeur  with  which  the  body 
was  decorated.  It  was  in  splendid  full  dress,  con- 
sisting of  scarlet  suit  embroidered  with  rich  gold 
lace,  a three  cornered  gold  laced  hat,  and  a genteel 
cued  wig,  white  silk  stockings,  large  diamond  knee 
and  shoe  buckles;  a profusion  of  diamond  rings  dec- 
orated the  fingers,  and  from  a superb  gold  watch  set 
with  diamonds  several  rich  seals  were  suspended.  His 
Excellency  General  Washington  with  several  other 
general  officers  and  members  of  Congress  attended 
the  funeral  and  walked  as  chief  mourners.  The 
174 


CAMPAIGNING  AT  MORRISTOWN 


other  officers  of  the  army  and  numerous  respectable 
citizens  formed  a splendid  procession  extending 
about  a mile.  The  pall  bearers  were  six  field  offi- 
cers, and  the  coffin  was  borne  on  the  shoulders  of 
artillerymen  in  full  uniform.  Minute  guns  were 
fired  during  the  procession  which  greatly  increased 
the  solemnity.” 

There  seems  to  have  been  a general  sense  of 
satisfaction  that  the  struggling  country  could 
perform  the  last  rites  of  hospitality  in  so  fine 
a manner.  But  the  putting  away  of  so  much 
splendor  under  ground  at  the  time  of  great 
physical  suffering  among  the  troops  carried 
a certain  risk,  and  a guard  of  soldiers  was 
detailed  to  protect  the  grave. 

There  was  deeper  sorrow  when  General  and 
Mrs.  Knox  buried  their  little  daughter  Julia, 
another  of  the  large  family  of  little  ones  that 
Mrs.  Knox,  notwithstanding  her  splendid 
vitality,  lost  in  following  the  army.  At  Mor- 
ristown also  that  winter,  Baby  Nat  Greene  was 
born,  the  father  of  the  General’s  biographer,  who 
still  lives  a contemporary  at  ninety-six.  It 
was  a cold  winter.  Teams  drove  from  Staten 
Island  to  New  York  and  Elizabeth  on  the  ice. 
This  easy  travel  facilitated  sudden  dashes 
between  the  two  armies.  Lord  Stirling  stole 
over  to  Staten  Island  one  night  and  captured 
some  sorely  needed  blankets  and  stores  from 

175 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


the  enemy.  In  retaliation  the  British  made  a 
sally,  and  captured  a picket  guard  consisting 
of  a major  and  forty  men.  Frequently  at  the 
sound  of  night  alarms,  the  ladies  had  to  draw 
the  covers  over  their  heads  while  their  rooms 
were  filled  with  armed  men  mustered  in 
defence  at  their  windows,  and  the  snow  drifted 
across  the  room. 

In  the  same  measure,  however,  the  snow 
and  ice  inspired  sleighing  parties  between 
hospitable  country  houses  and  camp.  There 
were  subscription  balls  in  the  commis- 
sary store  house,  at  which  Washington  in 
black  velvet,  the  foreign  commanders  in  all 
their  gold  lace,  General  Steuben  being  par- 
ticularly resplendent,  and  the  ladies  in 
powdered  hair,  stiff  brocades,  and  high  heels, 
made  a brilliant  company.  The  Tories  in 
town  heal'd  of  these  gayeties.  Rivington’s 
“ Gazette  ” is  moved  to  say,  “ 50  females  it  is 
said  were  picked  up  for  these  dances,  and  his 
departure  (de  Lauzun)  will  leave  scarcely  a 
gill  of  taffie  in  the  camp  of  the  pious  friend 
of  St.  Patrick.”  At  the  same  time  they  were 
having  their  own  amusements  in  the  Tory 
society  of  New  York,  where  Major  Andrd  was 
writing  satirical  poems  at  the  expense  of  the 
Provincials,  which  all  the  town  was  praising, 
and  Miss  Rebecca  Franks  of  Philadelphia  and 

176 


CAMPAIGNING  AT  MORRISTOWN 


the  Van  Home  girls  were  coquetting  in  fine 
style  with  the  Red  Coats. 

One  of  the  most  hospitable  houses  in  camp 
was  that  of  Surgeon  General  Cochrane.  His 
jovial  temper  amused  the  commanding  gen- 
eral, and  his  care  of  Lafayette  during  the 
almost  fatal  illness  he  suffered  at  Fishkill  the 
previous  year  cemented  their  friendship.  At 
their  convivial  meetings  the  doctor  had  a 
favorite  song,  of  which  the  refrain  was 
“ Bones.  ” The  name  attached  to  him.  “ The 
good  doctor  Bones,”  Lafayette  addresses  him. 
To  him  Washington  wrote  the  only  playful 
letter  of  which  there  is  any  record,  inviting 
Mrs.  Cochrane  and  her  daughter  Mrs.  Walter 
Livingston  to  dine  with  him  on  his  meagre 
camp  fare  at  West  Point.  Mrs.  Cochrane,  it 
will  be  remembered,  was  the  widowed  sister 
Gertrude  of  Philip  Schuyler.  Since  their  mar- 
riage they  had  lived  at  New  Brunswick,  and 
there  are  numerous  records  of  friendly  visiting 
and  household  exchange.  Mrs.  Schuyler  is 
now  sending  to  New  Brunswick  “ a barrel  of 
rusk  ” from  the  ample  Dutch  oven  at  Saratoga, 
and  Mrs.  Cochrane  despatching  a “keg  of 
pickled  Jersey  peaches  ” to  Albany. 

General  Schuyler  even  before  his  vindication 
by  court  martial  in  the  matter  of  the  surrender 
of  Ticonderoga  had  been  vindicated  by  his 

12  177 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 

neighbors,  who  elected  him  to  Congress.  Mrs. 
Schuyler  with  her  youngest  girls  had  accom- 
panied the  General  to  Philadelphia.  The  boys 
were  presumably  at  Kingston,  under  the  care 
of  a famous  schoolmaster  of  the  day,  John 
Addison.  At  least  he  consents  “to  take  the 
two  sons  of  General  Schuyler  under  his  care 
if  they  will  be  content  to  lodge  at  the  pious, 
cleanly,  and  careful  Widow  Ellings  who  will 
give  them  in  lieu  of  tea  and  sugar,  sepawn 
and  sweet  milk  in  the  morning,  as  good  if  not 
better  for  boys  of  their  age,”  and  in  a subse- 
quent letter  expects  to  receive  them.  Miss 
Betsey  had  stayed  at  home,  coming  later  with 
Mrs.  Carter.  General  Heath  at  the  Highlands 
announces  that  they  had  passed  the  ferry  one 
November  morning,  and  that  he  had  sent  down 
an  assistant  quartermaster  to  render  them 
every  assistance  in  his  power.  As  the  river 
below  was  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  the 
journey  was  cross  country  inland.  Writing  to 
General  Steuben  about  some  wolf  skins  he  had 
promised  to  secure  for  him,  General  Schuyler 
commends  to  “ one  of  the  most  gallant  men  in 
camp  ” his  daughter  Elizabeth,  the  bearer  of 
the  letter,  who  was  going  to  Morristown  to  visit 
her  aunt,  Mrs.  Cochrane.  General  Steuben, 
however,  was  off  on  an  inspection  tour,  and 
the  letter  was  opened  by  his  aide-de-camp, 
178 


CAMPAIGNING  AT  MORRISTOWN 


Ben  Walker,  who  sent  it  to  him,  deploring 
that  his  own  shabby  coat  and  hat  forbade  him 
taking  the  General’s  place.  The  advent  of 
Miss  Betsey  is  noticed  as  an  event  in  the  cor- 
respondence of  the  time.  Miss  Kitty  Living- 
ston hastens  to  remark  upon  it  as  an  addition 
to  society  at  Morristown.  At  headquarters 
was  young  Tench  Tilghman,  who  having  spent 
several  busy  days  at  Albany  in  Miss  Betsey’s 
society,  regarded  himself  as  an  old  friend. 
There  was  also  Alexander  Hamilton,  whom 
she  had  already  met  in  Albany,  when  he  came 
to  arrange  about  forwarding  the  prisoners  cap- 
tured at  Saratoga. 

The  visit  of  Miss  Betsey  was  fortunately 
prolonged  by  the  request  of  the  Commander- 
in-Chief  to  Congress  that  General  Schuyler 
might  come  to  Morristown  as  a military 
adviser.  General  and  Mrs.  Schuyler  accord- 
ingly came  to  Morristown,  took  a house,  and 
established  another  centre  of  gayety.  The 
renewal  of  the  acquaintance  of  Colonel  Hamil- 
ton and  Miss  Schuyler  soon  assumed  a form 
sure  to  be  remarked  in  camp.  The  young 
officer’s  evenings  were  usually  spent  at  the 
Schuyler  headquarters.  Of  one  of  these  even- 
ings Judge  Ford,  at  whose  father’s  house 
Washington  and  consequently  his  military 
secretary  lived,  relates  this  story.  He  was 

179 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


then  a lad,  and  in  order  that  he  might  play  in 
the  village  after  the  guard  was  posted,  the 
General  would  confide  to  him  the  countersign. 
On  this  evening  he  was  coming  home  when  he 
heard  the  sentinel  challenge  some  one.  “ Who 
comes  there?  ” The  voice  that  tried  to  give  the 
word  was  that  of  Hamilton.  Vainly  the  young 
Colonel  strove  to  recall  the  countersign,  as  the 
soldier  presented  his  bayonet.  He  told  who  he 
was,  but  it  had  no  potency.  At  last,  recognizing 
young  Ford  making  his  tardy  way  homeward,  he 
called  to  him  and  whispered,  “ Give  me  the 
countersign.”  The  boy  did  so,  and  Hamilton, 
stepping  in  front  of  the  sentinel,  presented  it. 
The  sentinel,  who  was  doubtful  of  the  legality 
of  such  proceedings,  at  last  consented  to  allow 
the  absent-minded  young  lover  to  pass. 

Colonel  Hamilton  pressed  and  won  his  suit, 
and  the  engagement  of  two  young  people  of 
such  distinction  was  announced  in  every  letter 
sent  from  camp,  where  engagements  in  fact 
were  no  novelty.  What  was  thought  of  it  by 
those  most  concerned  is  made  clear  in  the 
letter  of  General  Schuyler  to  his  future  son- 
in-law:  “You  cannot,  my  dear  sir,  be  more 
happy  at  the  connexion  you  have  made  with 
my  family  than  I am.  Until  the  child  of  a 
parent  has  made  a judicious  choice,  his  heart 
is  in  continual  anxiety ; but  this  anxiety  was 
180 


CAMPAIGNING  AT  MORRISTOWN 


removed  the  moment  I discovered  on  whom 
she  had  placed  her  affections.  I am  pleased 
with  every  instance  of  delicacy  in  those  who 
are  dear  to  me ; and  I think  I read  your  soul 
on  that  occasion  you  mention,  I shall  therefore 
only  entreat  you  to  consider  me  as  one  who 
wishes  in  every  way  to  promote  your  happi- 
ness ; and  I shall.  ” These  were  halcyon  days. 
The  Schuylers  remained  in  Morristown  until 
summer.  In  May  there  was  an  imposing 
review  given  by  General  Steuben  of  the  army 
at  Bound  Brook,  for  Chevalier  de  Luzerne, 
the  new  French  Minister.  All  the  ladies  were 
there,  Mrs.  Washington  arriving  in  her  coach- 
and-four;  the  Generals  with  their  wives  and 
daughters;  Mrs.  Knox  with  Betty  and  Sally 
Winslow, — “ the  younger  a lively  little  hussy 
Governor  Livingston  and  his  family  of  girls; 
Lady  Kitty  and  Lady  Mary,  the  daughters  of 
Lord  Stirling;  and  all  the  neighboring  gentry  ; 
Mrs.  Schuyler  and  Mrs.  Cochrane,  with  Miss 
Betsey  wearing  doubtless  the  new  head-dress 
sent  her  by  Mr.  John  Bonfield  from  Paris. 
The  description  is  not  given,  but  it  was  one 
adopted  by  the  Queen  of  France  in  honor  of 
America,  and  called  “a  la  Bostonne. ” The 
review  was  led  by  Light  Horse  Harry  Lee, 
with  his  legion  of  Virginians  in  green  and 
white.  Equally  prominent  was  Captain 
181 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


Colfax,  with  the  body-guard  of  the  command- 
ing general,  in  blue  coats  faced  with  buff, 
with  red  waistcoats,  buckskin  breeches,  white 
belts,  and  black  cocked  hats  with  cockades  and 
bound  with  white  tape.  Among  the  distin- 
guished company  were  the  soldier  priest 
Muhlenberg,  and  the  bravest  of  all,  to  one  at 
least,  the  boyish  Hamilton,  with  his  aristo- 
cratic features  and  graceful  bearing.  After 
the  review  the  notables  and  the  ladies  were 
entertained  by  General  Steuben  at  dinner,  the 
host  resplendent  in  the  bediamonded  decora- 
tion of  the  Order  of  Fidelity  given  him  by  the 
great  Frederic,  that  he  commonly  wore. 

The  summer  was  fruitful  in  events.  Mrs. 
Schuyler  before  returning  home  went  to  Phila- 
delphia to  visit  her  married  daughter,  as  we 
learn  from  a letter  of  General  Schuyler: 
“Mrs.  Schuyler  proposes  a jaunt  to  Phila- 
delphia; if  she  goes  I shall  accompany  her 
and  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you.  She 
joins  me  in  every  friendly  wish,  please  to 
make  my  respects  to  your  lady  and  her  amiable 
sisters.”  This  letter  was  addressed  to  Bene- 
dict Arnold,  for  whose  bravery  and  conduct 
at  Saratoga  the  General  had  great  admiration, 
and  possibly  some  sympathy  in  the  court  mar- 
tial Arnold  had  just  undergone,  conscious  in 
his  own  case  how  easily  charges  were  made. 

182 


CAMPAIGNING  AT  MORRISTOWN 


The  subsequent  events,  Arnold’s  treason  and 
Andre’s  capture  touched  this  family  closely 
through  Elizabeth’s  engagement  to  Hamilton. 
Hamilton’s  letters  to  his  betrothed  at  this 
time  are  in  fact  part  of  the  history  of  the 
time.  “ I had  Schuyler’s  company  last  night,  ” 
Arnold  writes  shortly  before,  from  West  Point, 
where  he  was  in  command. 

Hamilton  with  his  chief  was  breakfasting 
with  Arnold  on  the  morning  that  the  news  of 
Andre’s  capture  was  received.  When  the 
certainty  of  Arnold’s  treachery  and  flight  were 
assured,  it  was  he  who  conveyed  the  news  to 
Mrs.  Arnold,  then  in  bed  upstairs.  “It  was 
the  most  affecting  scene  I ever  witnessed,”  he 
writes  to  Miss  Schuyler.  “She  for  a con- 
siderable time  entirely  lost  her  self-control. 
The  General  went  up  to  see  her.  She  up- 
braided him  with  being  in  a plot  to  murder  her 
child.  One  moment  she  raved,  another  she 
melted  into  tears.  Sometimes  she  pressed  her 
infant  to  her  bosom  and  lamented  its  fate, 
occasioned  by  the  imprudence  of  its  father  in 
a manner  that  would  have  pierced  insensibil- 
ity itself.”  The  young  aide-de-camp  had  a 
heart  easily  moved,  and  felt  deeply  the  poign- 
ancy of  the  situation.  He  adds:  “Could  I 
forgive  Arnold  for  sacrificing  his  honor, 
reputation,  duty,  I could  not  forgive  him  for 

183 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


acting  a part  that  must  have  forfeited  the 
esteem  of  so  fine  a woman.  At  present  she 
almost  forgets  his  crime  in  his  misfortunes ; 
and  her  horror  at  the  guilt  of  the  traitor  is 
lost  in  her  love  of  the  man.”  There  were 
other  painful  moments  he  transcribes  in  these 
letters.  Such  was  his  last  visit  to  Andr6  on 
the  day  of  his  execution.  “ Poor  Andr6  suffers 
to-day,”  he  concludes.  “Everything  that  is 
amiable  in  fortitude,  in  delicate  sentiments 
and  accomplished  manners  pleads  for  him; 
but  hard-hearted  policy  calls  for  a sacrifice. 
...  I urged  compliance  with  Andre’s  request 
to  be  shot,”  he  adds,  that  “his  Eliza  might 
not  think  him  unfeeling.” 

The  end  of  the  year  brought  happier  mo- 
ments. The  Schuylers  were  back  at  Saratoga ; 
Cornelia  had  the  ague ; the  little  boys  would 
not  obey  their  grandfather,  Colonel  John  van 
Reusselaer ; there  were  more  Indian  scares,  the 
house  was  kept  in  a state  of  semi-siege ; Gen- 
eral Schuyler  was  being  talked  of  for  governor. 
But  all  these  matters  were  unimportant  in 
comparison  with  the  preparations  going  for- 
ward for  a certain  event.  Meanwhile  the 
household  was  kept  informed  of  all  that  was 
going  forward  in  army  affairs,  varied  with 
such  private  and  pleasant  dallying  as  this  from 
the  young  lover : — 


184 


CAMPAIGNING  AT  MORRISTOWN 


“I  would  not  have  you  imagine  Miss  that  I 
write  you  so  often  to  gratify  your  wishes  or  please 
your  vanity;  hut  merely  to  endulge  myself,  and  to 
comply  with  that  restless  propensity  of  my  mind 
which  will  not  be  happy  unless  I am  doing  some- 
thing, in  which  you  are  concerned.  This  may  seem 
a very  idle  disposition  in  a philosopher  and  a 
soldier;  hut  I can  plead  illustrious  examples  in 
my  justification.  Achilles  liked  to  have  sacrificed 
Greece  and  his  glory  to  a female  captive;  and 
Anthony  lost  the  world  for  a woman.  I am  very 
sorry  times  are  so  changed  as  to  oblige  me  to  go  to 
antiquity  for  my  apology,  but  I confess  to  the  dis- 
grace of  the  present  that  I have  not  been  able  to 
find  as  many  who  are  as  far  gone  as  myself  in  the 
laudable  Zeal  of  the  fair  sex.  I suspect  however  that 
if  others  knew  the  charm  of  my  sweetheart  as  I do, 
I could  have  a great  number  of  competitors.  I 
wish  I could  give  you  an  idea  of  her.  You  have 
no  conception  of  how  sweet  a girl  she  is.  It  is 
only  in  my  heart  that  her  image  is  truly  drawn. 
She  has  a lovely  form  and  still  more  lovely  mind. 
She  is  all  Goodness,  the  gentlest,  the  dearest,  the 
tenderest  of  her  sex  — Ah  Betsey,  how  I love  her.” 

The  marriage  of  Elizabeth  Schuyler  and 
Alexander  Hamilton  took  place  December  14, 
1780,  at  the  family  residence  in  Albany.  Out 
of  this  family  of  attractive  girls  this  was  the 
only  wedding  celebrated  there.  But  so  re- 
markable a fact  requires  a chapter. 


185 


XII 


THE  GIRLS  AND  BOYS 

The  independence  of  the  modern  girl  seems 
pale  and  ineffectual  beside  that  of  the  daughters 
of  the  Revolution.  The  modern  mother  has 
an  easy  task  rearing  her  children  compared 
with  that  of  the  women  of  ’76,  as  their  diffi- 
culties are  reflected  in  the  correspondence  of 
the  day.  Freedom  was  in  the  air  and  young 
aides-de-camp  in  and  out  of  the  house.  The 
careful  preparation  of  a girl  of  to-day  contrasts 
in  an  interesting  manner  with  the  summary 
way  in  which  young  people  then  undertook 
their  own  careers.  This  was  usually  but  in 
one  direction.  The  opportunities  except  by 
way  of  marriage  were  circumscribed.  The 
romances  of  the  day  seized  upon  their  minds 
as  small  boys  are  now  possessed  by  dime 
novels.  Clarissa  Harlowe  was  their  concep- 
tion of  a heroine;  a post-chaise  and  moonlight 
the  ideal  setting  of  a marriage.  The  girl 
with  whom  we  are  acquainted  is  a prosaic 
186 


THE  GIRLS  AND  BOYS 


creature  compared  with  the  young  women  we 
know  as  ancestors. 

When  the  little  Schuyler  girls  were  standing 
by  their  mother’s  side  learning  to  read  and 
to  hem,  Henrietta  Moore,  the  daughter  of 
Sis  Henry,  climbed  over  the  garrison  wall 
and  eloped  with  a captain  in  the  Royal  com- 
mand. Miss  Angelica,  who  was  visiting 
shortly  before  at  the  Government  House, 
although  only  a girl  of  ten,  must  have  seen 
something  of  the  love  affair.  Even  before  this 
time  Henry  Cruger  had  sought  General 
Schuyler’s  counsel  about  his  own  runaway 
girl.  Miss  Cruger  had  eloped  with  Peter 
Yan  Schaack.  General  Schuyler’s  interests 
were  for  the  impetuous  young  people,  and 
he  mediated  so  successfully  that  the  grieved 
father  wrote  in  reply:  — 

“ The  approbation  of  good  men  is  a powerful 
incentive  to  virtue.  You  have  expressed  the  sen- 
timents of  my  heart.  However  happy  her  presence 
would  make  me  without  her  affections  I would  not 
want  her  person,  or  to  assert  my  legal  right  to  it 
on  conditions  that  would  evermore  be  secondary 
to  me.” 

These  efforts  General  Schuyler  must  after- 
ward have  grimly  recalled.  The  gossip  of 
Peggy  White’s  elopement  with  Peter  Jay 

187 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


Munro ; of  Susanna  Reid,  the  daughter  of  the 
General,  and  one  of  the  Alexander  heiresses, 
making  off  with  an  unknown  Dr.  Robert- 
son; and  of  Harriet  Van  Rensselaer’s  escape 
by  window  with  her  cousin  Sol,  entertained  at 
times  both  Albany  and  New  York.  Punctuat- 
ing the  military  and  familiar  letters  of  the 
period  are  accounts  of  similar  flittings.  “John, 
I fancyed,  had  been  married  some  time,  but  it 
appears  it  was  only  recent,”  wrote  Dr. 
Cochrane  of  his  stepson,  John  Schuyler.  In 
the  Schuyler  household  elopements  assumed 
the  virulence  of  an  epidemic.  Out  of  five 
daughters,  four  arranged  and  took  charge  of 
their  own  marriages.  As  results  proved,  the 
wisdom  and  experience  of  their  parents  could 
have  scarcely  done  better  for  these  hasty 
young  women  than  they  did  for  themselves, 
and  their  example  rises  to  confound  the 
prudent. 

At  the  same  time  the  anxiety  expressed  by 
the  father  in  his  letter  to  Hamilton  seems 
reasonable  enough.  To  the  mother,  with  her 
many  cares,  the  charge  of  a large  and  turbu- 
lent young  family,  the  confidant  of  her  hus- 
band’s anxieties,  the  coadjutor  in  his  business 
affairs,  these  important  decisions  of  her  strong- 
willed  daughters  must  have  brought  some 
sorrow.  It  was  a period  requiring  constant 
188 


THE  GIRLS  AND  BOYS 


watchfulness.  Attractive  young  officers  had 
the  run  of  the  house.  The  services  of  an 
aide-de-camp,  as  they  were  interpreted, 
brought  him  into  close  relations  with  his 
chief  and  his  family.  Captain  Ben  Walker 
complains  of  his  shabby  uniform,  and  General 
Steuben  sends  him  another  in  answer  to  a 
request  for  a cockade,  a pair  of  gloves,  and  “ 2 
or  3 yds  of  hair  ribbon.”  Captain  John 
Lansing,  Jr.,  acting  as  aide  at  Albany,  asks 
his  general,  who  is  in  New  York,  to  order  him 
a coat  of  superfine  cloth,  “ any  fashionable 
color  (scarlet  excepted).”  Captain  Ben 
Walker,  in  Steuben’s  absence,  confides  even 
to  the  revered  Washington  his  love  troubles, 
and  receives  the  somewhat  cold-blooded  reply, 
“Women  do  not  die  of  such  trifles.  Write  to 
her  and  add  another  chapter  to  her  book  of 
sufferings.”  Colonel  Ned  Varick  and  Colonel 
Henry  Livingston  continually  record  escorting 
Miss  Angelica,  Miss  Betsey  with  their  mama 
to  and  fro  between  Albany  and  Saratoga. 
A deserter  is  brought  in  and  Miss  Betsey, 
learning  that  he  is  a tailor,  proposes  keeping 
him  as  useful  in  the  family.  Colonel  Varick 
makes  himself  essential  in  the  family  affairs. 
Now  he  is  hunting  for  the  curtains  of  the 
General’s  field  bed,  and  can’t  find  the  key, 
now  transporting  garden  seeds  and  cuttings 

189 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


to  Saratoga.  He  has  even  more  important 
commissions.  His  sister  writes : — 

“ You  mention  in  your  last  about  Miss  Schuy- 
ler’s stays.  I ’ve  no  opportunity  to  inquire  yet, 
but  will  get  Mr.  Elting  to  do  it  in  the  morn- 
ing.” Another  aide,  Captain  Lewis,  is  en- 
trusted to  see  about  Mrs.  Schuyler’s  silk  dresses. 
Indeed,  the  only  letter  of  Catherine  Schuyler 
that  can  now  be  traced  “ begs  the  favor  of  Cap- 
tain Varick  to  purchase  two  thousand  oysters 
and  to  get  Mrs.  Vernon  or  somebody  that  un- 
derstands it  to  pickle  them.” 

Saratoga  for  some  time  served  as  a garrison 
with  General  Starke  in  command.  This  was 
a fine  opportunity  for  the  lively  young  women, 
who  went  out  with  their  mother  to  assist  as 
usual  in  preparing  the  winter  stores  of  the 
orchard  and  garden  and  field.  Caleb  Starke, 
the  General’s  son,  was  in  particular  very 
attentive,  but  with  such  discretion  that  he 
won  the  approval  of  the  father  and  mother, 
who  had  their  own  reasons  for  discrimination 
in  this  matter.  The  General  was  moved  in 
fact  to  express  his  commendation  of  young 
Caleb’s  behavior  to  General  Starke  by  let- 
ter : “With  my  compliments  please  advise 
Major  Starke  that  I feel  with  pleasure  his 
polite  attentions  both  as  it  endears  him  to 
me,  and  that  such  a line  of  conduct  is  ever 

190 


THE  GIRLS  AND  BOYS 


attended  with  happy  results  in  a young 
gentleman.  ” 

Shortly  before  the  battle  of  Saratoga  General 
Schuyler  announced  the  marriage  of  his  eldest 
daughter  Angelica  by  letter  to  his  friend 
William  Duer : “ Carter  and  my  eldest  daughter 
ran  off  and  were  married  on  the  twenty-third 
of  July.  Unacquainted  with  his  family  con- 
nections and  situation  in  life  the  matter  was 
exceedingly  disagreeable  and  I signified  it  to 
them.”  William  probably  recalled,  if  his 
correspondent  did  not,  that  only  the  year 
before  Mr.  Carter  bore  to  Albany  his  own 
letter  of  introduction  to  General  Schuyler, 
commending  the  stranger  who  “though  young 
in  years  is  an  old  fashioned  english  Whig.” 
However,  the  deed  was  done.  The  situation 
was  alleviated  somewhat  by  the  young  couple 
going  to  the  house  of  the  Patroon  to  be  mar- 
ried. The  Patroon  was  but  a young  boy,  and, 
as  subsequently  proved,  without  prejudice. 
His  mother  had  married  Dominie  Westerlo, 
who  succeeded  the  lamented  Frelinghuysen. 
Thus  the  elopement  had  one  corner  of  the 
family  mantle  thrown  over  it.  The  mystery 
concerning  Carter  proved  to  be  alarming  only 
in  the  fact  that  it  was  a mystery.  He  had 
left  England  on  account  of  a duel,  assuming 
the  name  of  Carter  for  that  of  John  Barker 

191 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


Church,  which  he  subsequently  resumed.  At 
the  time  he  was  Commissary  for  Rochambeau, 
and  was  afterward  associated  with  General 
Wadsworth  in  the  same  department.  In  this 
capacity  he  had  the  opportunity  of  amassing  a 
large  fortune,  and  the  wayward  couple  became 
prominent  in  the  social  life  of  New  York, 
London,  and  Paris. 

Immediately  after  their  marriage  they  went 
to  Boston  about  army  affairs.  Here  they  met 
Madame  Riedesel,  who  has  left  her  impres- 
sions of  the  lady’s  amiability,  and  of  the  zeal 
with  which  the  young  Englishman  had  espoused 
the  American  cause.  Amicable  relations  with 
the  bride’s  family  were  immediately  resumed. 
There  were  frequent  visits  back  and  forth. 
Betsey  and  Peggy  go  to  Boston,  and  Mrs. 
Carter  returns  home  with  them,  making  the 
journey  in  ten  days.  Again,  Mrs.  Carter 
regrets  that  her  mother  does  not  come  while 
the  sleighing  is  so  fine.  She  is  a dashing 
bride,  and  carries  her  own  spirit  and  elegance 
into  the  commissary  itself.  Chastellux  re- 
lates: “Mrs  Carter,  a handsome  woman  told 
me  that  going  down  to  her  husbands  office  in 
rather  elegant  undress  a farmer  who  was  there 
on  business  asked  who  the  young  lady  was. 
On  being  told  that  it  was  Mrs  Carter,  said 
loud  enough  for  her  to  hear,  4 A wife  and  a 

192 


THE  GIRLS  AND  BOYS 


mother  has  no  business  to  be  so  well  dressed.  ’ ” 
This  was  at  Newport,  amid  the  gayeties  of  the 
French  occupation.  Subsequently  they  went 
to  Philadelphia,  where  Catherine  Schuyler,  as 
we  have  seen,  contemplated  visiting  her  that 
winter  when  army  affairs  brought  her  husband 
to  Morristown.  In  due  time  Mrs.  Carter 
brought  their  first  grandchild  to  the  Albany 
home.  The  boy,  according  to  the  family  cus- 
tom, was  named  for  his  grandfather  Philip. 
She  was  at  Albany  when  the  attempt  was  made 
to  capture  General  Schuyler  in  his  home  in 
the  summer  of  1782,  and  unconsciously  facili- 
tated the  attempt.  There  had  been  several 
previous  efforts  by  agents  of  the  British  to 
capture  General  Schuyler,  both  at  Saratoga 
and  in  Albany,  owing  to  his  influence  with  the 
Indian  allies.  The  house  was  guarded  by 
sis  men.  Their  guns  were  stacked  in  the 
hall,  the  guards  being  outside  and  the  relief 
asleep.  Lest  the  small  Philip  be  tempted  to 
play  with  the  guns  his  mother  had  them 
removed.  The  alarm  was  given  by  a servant. 
The  guards  rushed  for  their  guns,  but  they 
were  gone.  The  family  fled  upstairs,  hut 
Margaret,  remembering  the  baby  in  the  cradle 
below,  ran  back,  seized  the  baby,  and  when  she 
was  halfway  up  the  flight,  an  Indian  flung  his 
tomahawk  at  her  head,  which,  missing  her, 

13  193 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


buried  itself  in  the  wood,  and  left  its  historic 
mark  to  the  present  time.  There  was  great 
consternation  in  Congress  over  this  attack, 
and  Washington  writes  begging  General 
Schuyler  “to  strengthen  his  guard.” 

Margaret,  the  heroine  of  this  story,  was 
then,  according  to  the  testimony  of  Chastellux 
and  other  French  noblemen  competent  to 
express  an  opinion,  a charming  young  woman, 
and  destined  to  further  distinction.  It  was 
but  shortly  after  when  she  ran  away  and  mar- 
ried the  Patroon,  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer, 
who  assisted  at  the  improvised  wedding  of  her 
sister  Angelica  at  the  manor  house  a half 
dozen  years  before.  In  the  natural  course  of 
events  there  was  no  reason  why  these  young 
people,  she  daughter  of  a man  of  distinction, 
he  the  heir  to  great  wealth,  should  not  marry. 
His  father  had  died  when  Stephen  was  a boy 
of  five.  He  had  been  brought  up  by  his  mother, 
now  Mrs.  Westerlo,  and  his  guardian  and 
uncle,  General  Abraham  Ten  Broek.  Sent  to 
college  at  Princeton,  under  the  personal  care 
of  Dr.  Witherspoon,  the  President,  the  ap- 
proach of  the  British  induced  him  to  take  his 
young  charge  to  Cambridge.  At  Harvard  he 
made  the  acquaintance  of  a student  named 
Harrison  Gray  Otis.  It  is  indeed  from  the 
private  correspondence  of  this  young  man  with 

194 


THE  GIRLS  AND  BOYS 


Killian  Van  Rensselaer,  who  had  also  been  a 
Harvard  student,  and  was  now  the  private  sec- 
retary of  General  Schuyler,  that  we  learn 
most  of  these  stirring  family  events.  Killian 
feels  himself  to  be  under  a cloud  with  his 
chief,  owing  to  his  friendship  with  Stephen, 
whom  in  fact  he  had  vainly  tried  to  dissuade 
from  the  elopement  with  Miss  Peggy  Schuyler, 
and  seeks  the  sympathy  of  young  Mr.  Otis, 
their  mutual  friend.  The  sentiments  of  Mr. 
Otis  in  reply  are  so  estimable  that  they  may 
be  transferred  entire  : — 

“Stephen’s  precipitate  marriage  has  been  to  me 
a source  of  surprise  and  indeed  of  regret.  He 
certainly  is  too  young  to  enter  into  a connection  of 
this  kind;  the  period  of  his  life  is  an  important 
crisis;  it  is  the  time  to  acquire  Fame,  or  at  least 
to  prepare  for  its  acquisition.  It  is  the  Time  to 
engage  in  a busy  life,  to  arouse  the  Facultys 
into  action,  to  awake  from  a lithargic  Inattention, 
which  is  generally  the  consequence  of  youthful 
pleasures,  and  make  a figure  upon  the  active  Thea- 
tre. Instead  of  this  our  friend  has  indulged  the 
momentary  impulse  of  youthful  Passions,  and  has 
yielded  to  the  dictates  of  Remorseful  Fancy.” 

It  discourages  prophecy  to  observe  how  this 
discreet  young  man’s  forebodings  proved 
untrue.  Stephen  arrived  at  his  majority  the 
same  year,  and  the  occasion  proved  to  be  a 

195 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


great  fete,  celebrated  with  roast  oxen  and 
tenant  feasts,  bonfires,  and  a great  flow  of 
beer  and  punch,  amid  speech-makings  and 
happy  congratulations.  The  young  couple, 
handsomely  entrenched  in  wealth  and  posi- 
tion, were  doubtless  speedily  forgiven,  as  well 
they  might  be.  Neither  fame  nor  happiness 
passed  by  their  married  life,  which  was  only 
too  brief.  Mrs.  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer,  the 
wife  of  the  Patroon,  is  still  the  lively  Peggy, 
the  favorite  of  dinner-tables  and  balls.  The 
next  year  she  sends  by  mama,  the  “barer,” 
again  on  a motherly  visit  to  Mrs.  Church  at 
Philadelphia,  a letter  to  Colonel  Dyer  Wads- 
worth, begging  him  to  remember  that  he  “has 
many  friends  in  this  part  of  the  world,  one  in 
particular.  Dont  forget  your  promise  to  send 
your  picture.  There  is  no  impropriety,”  adds 
this  youthful  sage.  Throughout  the  first 
administration  she  remains  a beautiful  and 
charming  young  figure,  while  her  husband 
rises  from  one  distinction  to  another. 

The  one  occasion  on  which  the  Albany  home- 
stead took  on  the  festal  character  that  be- 
longs to  weddings  has  been  related.  The 
year  before,  Elizabeth,  the  Betsey  of  her 
contemporaries,  was  married  in  the  large 
drawing-room  to  Alexander  Hamilton,  where 
years  after  Millard  Fillmore  found  a wife. 

196 


THE  GIRLS  AND  BOYS 


The  marriage  took  place  with  all  the  distinc- 
tion that  parents  of  reputation  and  means  can 
give  to  a marriage  of  which  their  hearts  and 
minds  can  approve.  Dutch  weddings  were 
still  celebrated  at  home,  although  they  had  lost 
some  of  their  convivial  features.  The  young 
couple  returned  to  headquarters  until  an 
incident  between  Washington  and  his  secre- 
tary brought  the  younger  man’s  military 
career  for  a time  to  a close. 

It  is  an  old  story,  but  brings  a not  unwel- 
come touch  of  our  common  humanity.  Hamil- 
ton had  gone  downstairs  for  a paper,  and 
stopped  to  answer  some  questions  addressed 
by  Lafayette  on  the  way,  while  his  chief 
waited  at  the  head  of  the  stairs.  Impatient 
of  delay,  Washington  rebuked  his  secretary 
for  disrespect  when  he  reappeared.  The  dia- 
logue was  brief.  Hamilton  resigned.  The 
breach  was  inevitably  painful  to  the  three 
families,  who  had  tender  ties  of  friendship. 
Yet  to  us  in  the  lengthening  perspective  their 
subsequent  reconciliation  brings  out  the  nobler 
qualities  of  each.  The  immediate  result  was 
the  return  of  the  young  couple  to  Albany, 
where,  living  for  a time  at  the  paternal  man- 
sion, Hamilton  studied  law.  There  was 
another  young  lawyer  in  Albany  at  this  time, 
who  spent  a good  deal  of  time  at  the  Schuyler 

197 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


house.  That  same  year  Alexander  McDougall, 
the  same  Alexander  who  had  been  imprisoned 
in  the  affair  of  the  Liberty  Pole,  and  for  a 
time  was  the  lion  of  the  town,  and  was  now 
General  McDougall  of  the  army  of  the  Revo- 
lution, gave  a letter  of  introduction  to  Aaron 
Burr,  “who  goes  to  Albany  to  solicit  a license 
in  our  courts.”  To  him  General  Schuyler 
gave  the  freedom  of  his  library,  unusually 
large  and  valuable  for  the  time.  Although 
Burr  “is  rarely  seen,  living  with  a tidy  little 
widow,”  according  to  one  of  the  gossips  of 
the  time,  he  did  spend  a great  deal  of  time 
consulting  the  Schuyler  library.  His  mar- 
riage to  the  tidy  little  widow  was  celebrated 
in  Albany  the  same  year. 

This  was  probably  the  happiest  period  of 
Catherine  Schuyler’s  life.  Her  three  daugh- 
ters, if  precipitately,  were  at  least  happily 
and  prosperously  married.  To  General  Schuy- 
ler Hamilton  was  not  more  a beloved  son  than 
a valued  friend  and  political  ally.  His  chiv- 
alrous manner  and  devotion  to  her  daughter 
was  exceedingly  agreeable  to  the  reserved 
tastes  of  Mrs.  Schuyler  and  to  her  tender- 
ness as  a mother.  Here  their  first  child  was 
born.  This  happy  period  is  reflected  in  a 
letter  from  Hamilton  to  Meade,  one  of  the 
army  family : — 


198 


THE  GIRLS  AND  BOYS 


“ You  cannot  imagine  how  domestic  I am  becom- 
ing I sigh  for  nothing  but  the  company  of  my 
wife  and  baby.  Betsey  is  so  fond  of  your  family 
that  she  proposes  to  form  a match  between  her  boy 
and  your  girl.” 

The  attractions  of  this  young  suitor  he 
playfully  sets  forth  : — 

“He  is  truly  a very  fine  young  gentleman,  the 
most  agreeable  in  his  conversation  and  manners  of 
any  one  I ever  saw,  nor  less  remarkable  for  his 
intelligence  and  sweetness  of  temper.  You  are  not 
to  imagine  by  my  beginning  by  his  mental  quali- 
fications that  he  is  defective  in  personal.  It  is 
agreed  on  all  hands  that  he  is  handsome;  his  feat- 
ures are  good,  his  eye  is  not  only  sprightly  and 
expressive  but  full  of  benignity.  His  attitude  in 
sitting  is  by  connoisseurs  esteemed  graceful,  and  he 
has  a method  of  waving  his  hand,  that  announces 
the  future  orator.  He  stands  however  rather  awk- 
wardly, and  his  legs  have  not  all  that  delicate  slim- 
ness of  his  father.  It  is  feared  that  he  may  never 
excel  in  dancing,  which  is  probably  the  only  accom- 
plishment in  which  he  will  not  excel.  If  he  has  any 
faults  in  his  manners,  he  laughs  too  much.  He  is 
now  in  his  seventh  month.” 

To  Lafayette  at  the  same  period  Hamilton 
■writes  : “ I have  been  employed  for  the  last  ten 
months  in  rocking  the  cradle  and  studying 

199 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


the  art  of  fleecing  my  neighbors.”  These  are 
the  letters  of  a happy  man.  They  were  poor, 
but  that  was  not  a matter  of  the  first  consid- 
eration. Shortly  after  they  took  a house  near 
that  of  the  Schuylers.  The  Saratoga  fields 
yielded  bountifully;  the  dairies  and  orchards 
overflowed.  As  the  households  of  her  chil- 
dren sprang  up  about  her  the  motherly  eye  of 
Catherine  Schuyler  was  constantly  alert  con- 
cerning their  comfort.  There  are  frequent 
records  of  potatoes,  cheeses,  and  other  house- 
hold produce  sent  by  messenger  and  sloop 
from  the  abundant  family  stores.  There  was 
still  a young  family  at  home.  In  1781  another 
baby  had  been  added  to  the  household,  a girl 
named  Catherine  for  her  mother,  and  chil- 
dren and  grandchildren  growing  up  together 
brought  mother  and  daughters  very  near. 

Meanwhile  the  years  had  been  busy,  and 
another  daughter  had  arrived  at  a marriage- 
able age.  There  are  glimpses  of  Miss  Cornelia. 
Young  Nick  Visscher,  writing  to  his  friend 
Bob  Yan  Rensselaer,  then  in  London,  has 
seen  Miss  Cornelia  and  her  friend  Miss 
Westerlo  on  an  Albany  sloop  as  they  were 
escorting  some  New  York  friends  part  of  the 
way  home.  He  is  mollified  that  he  does  not 
know  these  fashionable  young  women,  as  he 
would  have  liked  to  introduce  them  to  some 


200 


THE  GIRLS  AND  BOYS 


young  men  with  him.  There  is  evidence  that 
Miss  Cornelia  conducted  herself  with  some 
haughtiness  from  young  Bob  himself  in  his 
letters  to  his  sister  “Arriet,”  in  which  he 
contrasts  her  sister  Mrs.  Church,  “an  angel 
all  affectionate  politeness  towards  a cousin 
who  trudges  out  to  her  country  seat  on  foot, 
walking  being  more  suitable  to  an  American 
purse.”  Mr.  Carter  on  going  back  to  London 
had  resumed  his  name  of  Church,  and  had 
become  a figure  in  the  London  world.  He 
was  at  this  time  a member  of  Parliament,  and 
lived  at  Downe,  near  Windsor.  Here  he  kept 
a fine  establishment.  “Mrs  Church  gave  a 
fine  ball  at  which  were  the  Prince  Regent  & 
all  the  Notabilities,”  Bob  continues.  There 
were  further  civilities:  “Mrs.  John  Church  is 
uncommonly  polite  and  attentive  to  me  she 
has  given  me  an  offer  which  I sometimes 
embrace  of  going  to  the  Drury  Lane  Theatre ; 
whenever  they  feel  disposed,  they  have  a 
private  box.  This  Evening  I am  going  with 
her  Ladyship  & Miss  Church  but  not  until  the 
play  is  half  over  It  being  unfashionable  going 
before.”  Jonathan  Trumbull,  who  has  gone 
abroad  to  study  art,  experiences  the  same 
hospitality.  He  is  invited  to  dine  in  the 
company  of  Sheridan  and  of  Pox  at  Downe, 
and  Mr.  Church  has  offered  to  be  his  banker. 


201 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


Against  testimony  of  this  sort,  Miss  Cornelia 
would  indeed  have  to  be  amiable. 

At  the  Morton  home  in  New  Jersey  there 
had  been  a notable  wedding,  that  of  Eliza 
Morton  to  Josiah  Quincy  of  Boston.  The 
Rev.  Samuel  Smith  of  Princeton  College 
performed  the  ceremony  before  all  the  aris- 
tocracy of  the  time.  After  the  wedding  the 
young  couple  left  in  a coach-and-four,  attended 
as  far  as  Harlem  by  their  bridesmaids  and 
groomsmen  on  their  five  days’  journey  to 
Boston.  Among  the  guests  was  Miss  Cornelia 
Schuyler.  The  bride  had  a brother,  Washing- 
ton Morton.  He  made  himself  prominent  as 
a lad  during  the  British  occupation  by  losing 
a darning  needle  which,  being  the  only  one  in 
the  neighborhood,  accordingly  had  to  be  loaned 
from  house  to  house.  He  was  now  one  of  the 
young  bloods  of  the  time.  One  of  his  recent 
enterprises  had  been  a walk  to  Philadelphia 
on  a wager.  He  was  accompanied  by  various 
young  men  on  horseback  and  in  carriages. 
That  night  he  gave  them  a dinner  at  Philadel- 
phia, and  was  one  of  the  liveliest  of  the  com- 
pany. He  was  of  superb  figure  and  very 
athletic.  The  admiration  of  Miss  Schuyler 
and  Mr.  Morton  was  mutual  and  prompt.  He 
followed  the  young  lady  to  Albany  and  declared 
his  attentions  to  her  father.  His  walk  had 


202 


TEE  GIRLS  AND  BOYS 


given  him  much  distinction,  but  it  was  not  of 
the  sort  likely  to  win  the  approval  of  so  strict 
a disciplinarian  as  General  Schuyler,  or  the 
championship  of  so  considerate  a mother  as 
his  wife. 

The  young  man’s  suit  was  refused.  “He 
had  not  taken  that  place  which  befitted  a mar- 
ried man,”  and  the  General,  to  make  sure  of 
his  position,  led  the  young  man  to  the  wharf 
and  saw  him  aboard  the  New  York  sloop.  Re- 
turning home  he  called  his  daughter  into  the 
library  and  told  her  what  he  had  done.  “My 
wishes  will  be  respected  ? Promise  me  to 
have  nothing  to  do  with  him  by  word  or 
letter.  ” 

“I  cannot.” 

“ What ! do  you  mean  to  disobey  me  ? ” 

“I  mean  I cannot  bind  myself;  I will  not.” 

The  issue  was  made.  What  steps  were 
taken  to  secure  obedience  do  not  appear.  In 
time,  however,  the  impatient  lover  found 
opportunity  to  send  his  love  a letter,  and  one 
moonlit  evening  two  muffled  figures  appeared 
under  Miss  Cornelia’s  window.  At  a low 
whistle  the  window  softly  opened  and  a rope 
was  thrown  up.  Attached  to  the  rope  was  a 
rope  ladder,  which  making  fast  like  a veri- 
table heroine  of  romance  the  bride  descended. 
They  were  driven  to  the  river,  where  a boat 

203 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


was  waiting  to  take  them  across.  On  the 
other  side  was  the  coach-and-pair.  They 
were  then  driven  thirty  miles  across  country 
to  Stockbridge,  where  an  old  friend  of  the 
Morton  family  lived.  It  was  Judge  Theodore 
Sedgwick,  not  unknown  to  General  Schuyler 
in  Congress  and  about  the  troublesome  bound- 
ary commissions.  The  affair  had  gone  too 
far.  The  judge  sent  for  a neighboring  min- 
ister and  the  runaways  were  duly  married. 
So  flagrant  a breach  of  the  parental  authority 
was  not  to  be  hastily  forgiven.  Philip  and 
Catherine  Schuyler  had  had  various  expe- 
riences in  kind,  but  this  transcended  every- 
thing out  of  fiction,  from  which  in  fact  it 
seemed  to  have  been  carefully  copied.  It  was 
some  months  before  the  young  couple  was 
pardoned,  by  the  stern  father  at  least,  for  the 
mother’s  heart  quickly  responded  to  the  hap- 
piness of  her  children,  even  though  they  had 
been  so  wilful.  As  in  the  case  of  the  other 
runaways,  the  youthful  Mortons  disappointed 
expectation,  by  becoming  important  house- 
holders and  taking  a prominent  place  in  the 
social  life  of  New  York,  where  Washington 
Morton  achieved  some  distinction  at  the  bar. 

General  Schuyler  was  a stern  father.  He 
brought  to  the  performance  of  his  own  duties 
an  orderly  mind  and  prompt  execution.  The 

204 


THE  GIRLS  AND  BOYS 


same  qualities  he  demanded  in  others.  Aris- 
tocratic in  feeling,  and  convinced  of  the  pro- 
priety of  etiquette  and  the  observance  of 
dignities,  he  required  their  observance  in 
others.  In  the  army  we  know  how  strenuously 
he  insisted  on  these  matters,  and  the  price  he 
had  to  pay  for  this  insistence.  This  concep- 
tion he  brought  into  his  own  household,  and 
it  was  not  inconsistent  with  the  utmost  kind- 
liness. Catherine  Schuyler  had  the  soft  man- 
ners of  a gentlewoman  and  the  tender  heart 
of  a mother,  although,  as  we  know,  she  could 
show  energy  of  action  and  force  of  character 
when  the  occasion  demanded  it.  In  the 
family,  however,  it  was  her  place  to  soothe 
and  to  minister.  There  was  ample  oppor- 
tunity for  her  gentle  interposition.  There 
were  four  boys,  and  if  the  sentences  with 
regard  to  them  that  creep  into  the  letters  of 
the  various  aides  are  an  indication,  they  were 
high-spirited,  mischievous  young  fellows,  en- 
joying themselves  mightily  among  the  soldiers 
and  the  attractions  of  camp  life,  of  which  at 
Saratoga  as  well  as  at  Albany  they  saw  a good 
deal.  John  Lansing  recounts  their  contests 
with  their  grandfather,  “neither  whose  per- 
suasions nor  authority  availed,”  and  urges 
that  they  be  sent  to  remoter  Claverack. 
Colonel  Yarick  says  Miss  Betsey  will  send 

205 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


Van  Rensselaer  by  the  Major.  He  is  full  of 
“his  pranks  as  ever.  Caleb  Starke  writes 
Master  Van  Rensselaer  has  made  a general 
acquaintance  and  is  loath  to  leave.”  These 
were  fine  times,  but  “there  are  Latin  books, 
coming  from  Philadelphia  for  my  boys,”  and 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Drummond  and  John  Addison, 
schoolmaster,  with  other  ideas  than  fife  and 
drum  and  soldier  clothes.  The  father  was  a 
martinet  at  home.  He  demanded  that  his 
sons  should  appear  in  the  morning  booted  and 
spurred  for  the  enterprises  of  the  day.  If  an 
order  was  to  be  sent  to  mill  or  field  the  boy 
was  expected  to  mount  at  command.  “But 
father  it  is  raining,”  the  youth  might  plead. 
“ What  has  that  to  do  with  it,  Sir  ? ” and  the 
boy  was  off.  Van  Rensselaer,  whose  childish 
antics  entertained  the  foreigners,  and  with 
whom  the  aides  had  their  own  affairs,  con- 
tinued full  of  boyish  pranks.  For  these  he 
was  obliged  to  copy  so  many  pages  of  William 
Smith’s  “History  of  New  York.”  In  conse- 
quence, for  some  time  he  was  able  to  enjoy  the 
reputation  of  a youthful  historian,  for  on 
being  asked  what  he  was  doing  by  interested 
friends  he  was  accustomed  to  reply,  “Writing 
a history  of  New  York.” 


206 


XIII 


THE  FIRST  ADMINISTRATION 

The  Declaration  of  Independence  was  a 
simple  act  compared  with  the  launching  of  a 
new  government  after  the  peace  of  1783.  The 
grave  questions  of  state  that  more  than  once 
put  the  country  in  peril  were  not  more  per- 
plexing and  difficult  to  adjust  than  the  out- 
ward observances  and  minor  forms  by  which 
the  hierarchy  of  dignities  were  to  be  mani- 
fested. It  was  scarcely  possible  that  com- 
munities brought  up  under  Royal  governors 
and  their  little  courts  should  not  associate 
the  routine  of  these  with  the  proper  and 
becoming  expression  of  authority.  “ The  Re- 
publican Court,”  “the  levees,”  “the  drawing- 
room,” “Lady  Washington,”  “His  Excel- 
lency,” are  legacies  of  speech  from  the  Colo- 
nial government,  vainly  used,  as  time  has 
proved,  to  indicate  the  new  order  of  things. 
The  intoxication  of  responsible  power  after  it 
was  bravely  achieved  is  discovered  both  in 
the  speech  and  acts  of  the  time.  “ Oh  Goddess 
207 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


of  Etiquette  assist  me,”  William  Maclay, 
cries  out  in  his  diary  between  gout  and  dis- 
gust, endeavoring  to  set  down  the  wrangles 
in  Congress  over  these  matters.  One  of  the 
first  acts  of  Congress  was  to  discuss  the  terms 
by  which  the  President  was  to  be  addressed, 
and  “His  Mightiness,”  “His  Highness,”  and 
“ His  Elective  Majesty  ” were  mercifully  voted 
down. 

In  the  simplicity  of  the  executive  functions 
to-day  and  the  absence  of  state  in  its  sur- 
roundings, we  can  scarcely  realize  what  a 
feature  of  social  and  public  life  was  the  first 
administration,  and  with  what  pride  it  was 
regarded  by  what  may  be  termed  the  Court 
pai'ty.  If  Washington  had  been  nothing  more 
than  a figure-head,  he  could  hardly  have  been 
better  chosen  for  his  place  in  the  pageant.  It 
is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  he  had  an  august 
presence.  His  tall,  commanding  figure  was 
surmounted  by  a dignified  yet  benign  counte- 
nance that  inspired  reverence  as  well  as 
admiration.  He  rarely  walked.  In  public  he 
was  usually  on  horseback,  attended  by  his 
aides  and  preceded  by  outriders  in  livery. 
When  he  “exercised  with  Mrs  Washington 
in  a coach,”  it  was  drawn  by  six  horses  with 
two  postilions  in  livery,  cocked  hats,  cock- 
ades, and  powder.  He  went  to  church  in  only 
208 


THE  FIRST  ADMINISTRATION 


less  state,  followed  by  a post-chaise,  in  which 
were  the  gentlemen  of  his  family.  With  a 
Virginian’s  love  of  horses,  these  were  the 
finest  that  could  he  procured,  and  were  kept 
with  human  care.  The  night  before  the 
famous  white  chargers  were  to  be  used  they 
were  covered  with  a white  paste,  swathed  in 
body  clothes,  and  put  to  sleep  on  clean  straw. 
In  the  morning  this  paste  was  rubbed  in,  and 
the  horses  brushed  until  their  coats  shone. 
The  hoofs  were  then  blacked  and  polished,  the 
mouths  washed  and  their  teeth  picked.  It  is 
related  that  after  this  grooming  the  master  of 
the  stables  was  accustomed  to  flick  over  their 
coats  a clean  muslin  handkerchief,  and  if  this 
revealed  a speck  of  dust  the  stable  man  was 
punished. 

The  first  executive  mansion  was  the  Osgood 
House  in  Cherry  Street,  just  out  of  Franklin 
Square.  It  was  so  small  that  three  of  the 
secretaries  had  to  sleep  in  one  room.  As 
Colonel  Humphreys  was  a poet,  and  when  the 
muse  was  upon  him  would  rise  at  any  hour  to 
recite  his  verses  in  a loud  voice  while  striding 
up  and  down  the  room,  and  having  wakened 
his  colleagues  hopelessly,  would  lie  down  and 
sleep  sweetly  after  the  inspiration  had  passed, 
he  effectually  cured  two  young  men  of  their 
love  of  poetry  for  the  rest  of  their  lives. 

14  209 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


The  executive  household  was  organized 
with  dignity.  The  President  had  one  levee  a 
week.  On  Thursday  he  received  the  ambas- 
sadors and  visitors  who  wished  to  be  pre- 
sented. On  Thursday  the  State  dinners  took 
place.  On  Friday  evenings  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton held  her  drawing-room.  At  his  levees  the 
President  wore  a black  velvet  coat,  black  satin 
breeches,  silk  stockings  with  diamond  knee 
buckles.  His  hair  was  powdered  and  drawn 
into  a black  bag  tied  with  ribbons.  He  wore 
at  his  side  a slender  dress  sword  in  a green 
shagreen  scabbard.  His  guests  were  dressed 
with  equal  care.  No  one  was  expected  to  be 
present  whose  position  did  not  entitle  him  to 
social  or  official  recognition.  The  effort  to 
create  an  aristocracy  of  a kind,  to  which  the 
newly  organized  Society  of  the  Cincinnati 
contributed,  was  apparent  in  every  direction. 
Mrs.  Washington’s  drawing-room  was  attended 
by  all  the  rank  and  fashion  of  the  town.  The 
ladies  sat  in  a circle  according  to  their  rank. 
The  President  regarded  himself  as  a private 
person,  and  early  paid  his  respects,  bowing 
to  each  of  the  ladies  in  the  circle. 

“You  will  see  no  such  formal  bows  at  the 
Court  of  St.  James,”  writes  James  Pintard  to 
his  sister  after  taking  tea  at  Mrs.  Washington’s 
New  Year  levee.  The  gayeties  were  not  has- 
210 


THE  FIRST  ADMIN  IS  TRA  TION 


tened  by  the  President’s  wife.  Before  her  ar- 
rival the  Inauguration  Ball  took  place,  at  which 
the  President  distinguished  Mrs.  Hamilton  and 
Mrs.  Van  Brugh  Livingston  by  dancing  with 
them.  A few  nights  after  Madame  de  Mous- 
tier,  the  wife  of  the  French  minister,  gave  a 
famous  ball,  at  which,  to  celebrate  the  friend- 
ship between  France  and  the  young  Republic,  a 
special  cotillion  was  danced.  Four  gentlemen 
in  French  uniforms  and  four  in  blue  and  buff, 
accompanied  by  four  ladies  with  headbands  of 
white  worn  with  the  lilies  of  France  and  four 
with  blue,  to  indicate  the  American  preference, 
entertained  all  the  rest  of  the  gay  company. 

“ If  there  is  a town  on  the  American  conti- 
nent where  English  luxury  displays  its  follies 
it  is  New  York,”  writes  that  discriminating 
observer,  Brissot  de  Warville.  “In  the  dress 
of  the  women  you  will  see  the  most  brilliant 
silks,  gauzes,  hats,  and  borrowed  hair.  ” The 
“New  York  Gazette”  of  May  15,  1789,  de- 
scribes some  of  these  dresses  with  admirable 
particularity. 

“A  plain  celestial  blue  satin  with  a white  satin 
petticoat.  On  the  neck  a very  large  Italian  gauze 
handkerchief  with  white  satin  stripes.  The  head 
dress  was  a puff  of  gauze  in  the  form  of  a globe  on 
a foundation  of  white  satin  having  a double  wing 
in  large  plaits  with  a wreath  of  roses  twined  about 
211 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


it.  The  hair  was  dressed  witli  detached  curls,  four 
each  side  of  the  neck,  and  a floating  chignon 
behind. 

“Another  was  a periot  made  of  gray  Indian  taf- 
fetas with  dark  stripes  of  the  same  color  with  two 
collars,  one  white,  one  yellow  with  blue  silk  fringe 
having  a reverse  trimmed  in  the  same  manner. 
Under  the  periot  was  a yellow  corset  of  cross  blue 
stripes.  Around  the  bosom  of  the  periot  was  a frill 
of  white  vandyked  gauze  of  the  same  form  covered 
with  black  gauze  which  hangs  in  streamers  down 
her  back.  Her  hair  behind  is  a large  braid  with  a 
monstrous  crooked  comb.” 

“Luxury  is  already  forming  in  this  city  a 
very  dangerous  class  of  men,  namely  the 
bachelors,  the  extravagance  of  the  women 
makes  them  dread  marriage,”  writes  one  of 
the  visiting  Frenchmen.  Yet  the  men  do  not 
seem  so  far  behind.  John  Ramage,  a famous 
miniature  painter  of  the  day,  we  are  told, 
wore  “ a scarlet  coat  with  mother-of-pearl 
buttons,  a white  silk  waistcoat  embroidered 
with  colored  flowers,  black  satin  knee  breeches 
with  paste  knee  and  shoe  buckles,  a small 
cocked  hat  on  the  top  of  his  powdered  hair 
leaving  the  curls  at  his  ears  displayed,  a gold- 
headed cane  and  gold  snuff-box.”  A critical 
observer  in  the  “Gazette”  complains  of  some- 
thing which  he  calls  a “bishop,”  and  adds, 
212 


THE  FIRST  ADMINISTRATION 


“the  young  ladies  have  laid  aside  all  manner 
of  deception ; cork  and  wool  are  no  more  seen 
in  the  dress  of  a fine  woman,  while  the  young- 
bucks  and  petits  maitres  are  metamorphosing 
themselves  into  lusus  naturae,  and  their  tailors 
into  upholsterers.  ” One  tailor  indeed  adver- 
tises one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  varieties  of 
cloth,  another  the  embroidering  of  buttons 
with  any  flower  desired,  an  opportunity  for 
nice  personal  taste  or  the  exercise  of  senti- 
ment. Thomas  Garris,  as  “ shoemaker  to  the 
nobility,”  will  make  men’s  shoes  for  six 
dollars  and  ladies’  shoes  for  six  dollars  and  a 
half.  Charles  McCann  offers  to  dress  hair  by 
the  year  for  fifteen  dollars,  and  Nat  Smith,  the 
city  perfumer,  offex’S  a pomade  de  grasse  for 
“thickening  the  hair,”  as  well  as  a nervous 
essence  for  the  toothache.  John  Greenwood 
announces  that  he  will  pay  a guinea  each  for 
live  teeth,  and  will  transplant  them  for  four 
guineas.  Mr.  Gi'eenwood,  it  was  well  known, 
had  made  a set  of  sea  horse  teeth  for  the 
President.  Jacob  Astoi’,  on  his  part,  offei-s 
“ an  assortment  of  piano  fortes  which  I will 
sell  on  reasonable  tenns,  also  buys  and  sells 
for  cash  all  sorts  of  furs.” 

“In  point  of  hospitality  New  York  is 
exceeded  by  no  other  town  in  the  counti’y,” 
was  the  opinion  of  Noah  Webster,  “and  con- 
213 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


trasts  favorably  with  Philadelphia  in  the 
mingling  of  classes.”  Mrs.  William  Smith, 
the  daughter  of  John  Adams,  on  the  other 
hand,  writes  her  mother,  “You  would  not  be 
pleased  with  society  here,  it  is  quite  enough 
dissipated.”  Miss  Pranks,  who  we  know  was 
even  a more  severe  critic : “ Here  you  enter  a 
room  with  a formal  set  curtsy  and  after  the 
‘How-dos  ’ things  are  finished ; all  a dead  calm 
until  cards  are  introduced  when  you  see 
pleasure  dancing  in  the  eyes  of  all  the  matrons 
and  they  seem  to  gain  new  life ; the  maidens 
decline  for  the  pleasure  of  making  love. 
Here  it  is  always  leap-year.  For  my  part 
I am  used  to  another  style  of  behavior.” 
She  further  remarks,  in  comparison  with  the 
Philadelphia  girls,  of  whom  she  is  one : “ They 
have  more  cleverness  in  the  turn  of  the  eye 
than  those  of  New  York  in  their  whole  com- 
position.” Governor  Livingston,  however, 
takes  another  view,  and  remarks  in  a letter  to 
his  daughter  Kitty  that  “the  Philadelphia 
flirts  are  equally  famous  for  their  want  of 
modesty  and  want  of  patriotism  in  their  over 
complaisance  to  red-coats,”  alluding  to  the 
English  officers,  newly  released  prisoners, 
“ who  could  not  conquer  the  men  of  the  country 
but  everywhere  they  have  taken  the  women 
almost  without  a trial  — damn  them.”  Card- 


214 


TEE  FIRST  ADMINISTRATION 


playing  was  certainly  a favorite  amusement. 
“Mary  was  asked  to  Church’s  to  a great 
Twelfth  Night  Ball,”  writes  Walter  Ruther- 
ford. “Apropos  the  day  I dined  there  the 
Rest  of  the  Company  stayed  and  played  Brag. 
It  is  reported  that  C lost  1500dds  and  Phil  on 
one  card.  It  is  reported  from  John  street 
that  Mrs.  Sterret  on  one  evening  lost  $50  and 
another  lady  $400  at  cards,  tell  Lewis  to 
beware  of  vingt’une.  ” Governor  William 
Livingston  adds  his  further  testimony.  “ My 
principal  Secretary  of  State  who  is  one  of  my 
daughters  has  gone  to  New  York  to  shake  her 
heels  at  the  balls  and  assemblies  of  a metrop- 
olis which  might  be  better  employed,  more 
studious  of  taxes  than  of  instituting  expensive 
diversions.”  William  Maclay,  who  enjoys 
himself  most  when  damning  everything,  im- 
proves the  death  of  a certain  Mrs.  Baxter  to 
add : “ She  too  was  gay  and  she  is  yet  young. 
Useful  lesson  to  the  females  of  the  neighbor- 
hood, if  lessons  will  be  of  service  in  these 
giddy  times.”  Brissot  de  Warville,  who  is 
apt  to  show  his  kindliness  in  deploring  our 
faults,  observes  that  the  low  dresses  of  some 
of  the  ladies  are  unbecoming  a republic. 

Gouverneur  Morris,  who  was  one  of  the  most 
light-hearted  youths  of  the  day,  gives  a pleas- 
anter retrospect  of  the  gayeties  of  the  town. 

215 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


“You  must  remember,”  lie  writes,  “the  Misses 
White  so  gay  and  fashionable,  so  charming  in  con- 
versation, with  such  elegant  figures  — I remember 
going  one  night  with  Sir  John  Temple  and  Henry 
Remsen  to  a party  at  their  house.  I was  dressed 
in  a light  French  blue  coat,  with  a high  collar, 
broad  lapels,  and  large  gilt  buttons,  a double- 
breasted  Marseilles  vest,  nankeen  colored  cassimere 
breeches,  with  white  silk  stockings,  shining  pumps 
and  full  ruffles  on  my  breast  and  at  my  wrists  with 
a ponderous  white  cravat  with  a pudding  in  it,  as 
we  then  called  it ; and  I was  considered  the  best 
dressed  man  in  the  room.  I remember  to  have 
walked  a minuet  with  much  grace  with  my  friend 
Mrs.  Verplanck,  who  was  dressed  in  hoop  and  pet- 
ticoats; and  singularly  enough  I caught  cold  that 
night  from  drinking  hot  Port  Wine  Negus  and 
riding  home  in  a sedan  chair  with  one  of  the 
glasses  broken.” 

At  the  same  time  the  first  lady  of  the  land 
plaintively  writes  : 

“I  lead  a very  dull  life  here  and  know  nothing 
that  passes  in  the  town.  I never  go  to  any  publick 
place  — indeed  I think  I am  more  like  a state 
prisoner  than  anything  else  there  is  a certain  bound 
set  for  me  which  I must  not  depart  from,  and  as 
I cannot  doe  as  I like  I am  obstinate  and  stay 
home  a great  deal.” 

Yet  Washington’s  diary  reveals  a busy  and 
decorous  social  life.  One  evening  he  has  a 
216 


THE  FIRST  ADMINISTRATION 


dinner  and  theatre  party  consisting  of  “ Gen- 
eral Schuyler  and  Lady,  Maj.  Butler  and 
Lady  Col.  Hamilton  and  Lady  and  Mrs. 
Greene.”  Mrs.  Butler  was  unfortunately  ill 
and  could  not  come.  The  President  dined  at 
four  o’clock.  Sam  Fraunces,  “ Black  Sam,” 
was  the  steward  and  his  sister  the  housekeeper. 
The  table  was  an  oval  with  Mrs.  Washington 
seated  at  the  head,  Colonel  Humphreys  or  one 
of  the  aides  at  the  foot,  while  the  President  sat 
midway  in  easy  distance  from  his  guests.  As 
decorations  on  the  table  were  silver  waiters 
forming  parallelograms  with  oval  ends.  On 
these  were  grouped  little  mythological  figures, 
“ but  none  to  offend,”  we  are  assured.  With 
these  were  mingled  artificial  and  natural 
flowers.  The  dishes  were  uncovered  outside. 
The  family  plate  and  china  had  been  brought 
from  Mount  Yernon.  There  were  various  wines, 
but  the  host  contented  himself  with  a silver 
mug  of  beer  and  afterward  one  glass  of  wine. 
The  dinners  are  greatly  commended,  although 
at  times  there  were  certain  contretemps. 
Mrs.  Roger  Morris  speaks  of  an  elegant  trifle 
that  came  on  the  table  at  the  “ Presidoliad,”  as 
the  Executive  Mansion  was  sometimes  called. 
It  had  been  made  from  bad  cream.  She  tasted 
it  and  warned  the  President,  who  hastily  put 
down  his  spoon.  Mrs.  Washington,  however, 

217 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


calmly  ate  all  her  helping.  Mrs.  Morris  as- 
signed the  impossibility  of  getting  good  cream 
in  New  York  as  a reason  for  moving  the  capi- 
tal to  Philadelphia,  the  discussion  being  then 
at  its  height. 

The  theatre  was  in  John  Street.  The  Pres- 
ident had  a bos  decorated  with  the  national 
emblems  and  frequently  occupied  it.  On  this 
evening  the  play  was  “ Darby’s  Return,”  a piece 
by  Wignall,  having  great  vogue.  Darby  was 
an  Irish  boy  who  had  left  his  farm  and  gone 
to  be  a soldier.  After  the  war  he  went  back 
home  and  is  relating  his  experiences  to  his 
old  friends.  Many  of  the  lines  were  significant. 

“ A man  who  fought  to  free  the  land  from  woe 
Like  me  had  left  his  farm  a-soldiering  to  go.” 

His  neighbors  desire  to  know  something  of 
this  man,  and  Darby  continues,  while  every 
eye  was  fixed  on  the  President  in  his  box. 
But  the  event  of  the  evening  was  the  playing 
for  the  first  time  of  the  “ President’s  March,” 
which  we  better  know  as  “ Hail  Columbia.” 
The  enthusiasm  was  immense.  We  are  further 
informed  by  the  “ New  York  Gazette”  of  the 
week  that : “ our  Beloved  Ruler  seemed  to 
unbend  for  the  moment  and  give  himself  to  the 
pleasures  arising  from  the  gratification  of  the 
two  most  noble  organs  of  sense,  the  Eye  & 
218 


TEE  FIRST  ADMINISTRATION 


the  Eai\”  Washington  was  fond  of  the  theatre. 
There  are  numerous  records  of  theatre  parties. 
]\fr.  Sheridan’s  new  play  “ The  School  for  Scan- 
dal ” was  then  the  fashion.  It  was  not  received 
with  unqualified  approval.  At  one  of  the  Presi- 
dent’s parties,  when  it  was  played,  a guest 
confides  to  his  diary  that  “ The  School  for 
Scandal  ” is  “ no  decent  representation  before 
ladies  of  virtue.  Would  have  preferred  The 
Conscious  Lover  in  which  mox*e  prudential 
manners  are  inculcated.”  Probably  sug- 
gested by  Colonel  Humphreys,  who  was  then 
writing  his  play  “ The  Widow  of  Malabar,” 
there  were  frequent  theatricals  in  the  garret 
of  the  President’s  house.  William  Duer  tells 
of  playing  Brutus  there  to  the  Cassius  of 
George  Parke  Custis,  Washington  being  one 
of  the  select  audience. 

The  day  after  the  President’s  theatre  party 
he  made  a call  upon  the  Schuylers.  General 
Schuyler,  who  had  been  in  politics  continuously 
since  he  left  the  army,  was  now  a member  of 
the  first  Senate.  The  Albany  family  was 
closely  allied  with  the  administration.  Aside 
from  campaigning  and  similar  military  expe- 
riences, Washington  and  General  Schuyler,  in 
their  love  of  country  life  and  interest  in  agri- 
culture, enjoyed  that  friendship  which  springs 
from  similar  tastes.  Hamilton,  moreover,  who 
219 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


had  become  the  most  brilliant  figure  in  political 
life  and  was  now  Secretary  of  the  Treasury, 
was  General  Schuyler’s  son-in-law.  Father 
and  son  never  acted  more  spontaneously  from 
a single  impulse  than  these  two.  “ You  know 
how  I loved  him,”  General  Schuyler  writes 
afterward,  broken  with  grief  at  his  untimely 
loss. 

It  is  not  known  where  the  Scliuylers  lived 
at  this  time.  The  Hamiltons  lived  at  No.  58 
Wall  Street,  a few  doors  from  the  home  of 
Richard  Varick,  who  had  married  the  daughter 
of  Isaac  Roosevelt,  who  was  now  Mayor  of 
New  York.  Around  the  corner,  at  No.  45 
Broadway,  was  the  home  of  General  Knox,  the 
Secretary  of  War,  a four-story  brick  house, 
with  a wide  piazza  in  the  rear,  from  which  was 
a beautiful  view  of  the  North  River.  The  Vice- 
President,  John  Adams,  lived  at  Richmond 
Hill,  now  the  corner  of  Varick  and  Charlton 
streets,  then  a country  residence  of  whose 
charms  Mrs.  Adams  writes  : “ The  venerable 
oaks  and  broken  ground  covered  with  wild 
shrubs  which  surround  me  give  a natural  beauty 
to  the  spot  which  is  truly  enchanting.  The 
partridge,  the  woodcock,  the  pigeon  tempt  the 
sportsman’s  gun.”  Richmond  Hill  was  after- 
ward better  known  as  the  home  of  Aaron  Burr. 
Subsequently,  the  President  moved  to  the 
220 


THE  FIRST  ADMINISTRATION 


McComb  mansion  below  Trinity  Church,  and 
became  also  a neighbor  of  the  Hamiltons.  Not 
far  distant  on  Broadway  the  home  of  the 
genial  Cochranes  was  a rallying-place  for  the 
numerous  Schuylers  and  Livingstons.  At  Mrs. 
Dunscomb’s  boarding-house  lived  Robert  Liv- 
ingston, Fisher  Ames,  and  Theodore  Sedgwick. 

Mrs.  Hamilton,  Mrs.  Jay  and  Mrs.  Knox 
were  the  leaders  of  official  society.  Mrs.  Knox, 
old  campaigner,  fat,  lively,  if  somewhat  inter- 
fering, was  a general  favorite.  Mrs.  William 
Smith,  formerly  Miss  Abigail  Adams,  made 
some  caustic  comments  to  be  sure,  and  other 
ladies  remarked  that  she  was  more  prominent 
at  the  drawing-rooms,  where  there  was  usually 
a lively  contest  for  recognition,  than  they 
desired ; nevertheless,  Mrs.  Knox  was  a con- 
spicuous feature  in  the  success  of  the  first  ad- 
ministration. Mrs.  Jay,  the  daughter  of  Gov- 
ernor Livingston,  and  who  had  spent  some  time 
at  the  most  formal  court  in  Europe,  was  em- 
inently adapted  for  her  place. 

Mrs.  Hamilton  had  the  advantages  of  youth, 
charm,  and  position.  No  one  was  better  fitted 
for  the  part  she  was  now  called  upon  to  per- 
form. Accustomed  to  meeting  in  her  father’s 
house  distinguished  people  from  evei’y  country, 
trained  by  a careful  mother  to  meet  the  de- 
mands made  by  large  hospitality  on  the 
221 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


resources  of  a household,  she  added  to  this 
equipment  an  engaging  personality.  “ A 
charming  woman  who  joined  to  all  the  graces 
the  simplicity  of  an  American  wife,”  Brissot  de 
Warville  describes  her.  The  Hamiltons  were 
poor.  “ I have  seen  one  of  the  wonders  of  the 
world.  I have  seen  a man  who  made  the  for- 
tune of  a nation  laboring  all  night  to  support 
his  family,”  writes  Talleyrand,  who  had 
brought  over  letters  to  the  Hamiltons  from 
their  sister  Mrs.  Church,  and  passing  the  house 
late  at  night  and  early  in  the  morning,  saw  the 
lamp  burning  in  Hamilton’s  office.  The  estate 
at  Saratoga  contributed  largely  to  the  New 
York  household,  and  Catherine  Schuyler  was 
frequently  a visitor  in  her  daughter’s  home. 
There  was  much  in  the  society  of  her  daughter, 
her  young  family  and  surroundings  to  contrib- 
ute to  the  pride  and  happiness  of  the  elder  lady. 
On  the  Fourth  of  July,  the  Society  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati held  a celebration  in  St.  Paul’s.  The 
orator  was  Alexander  Hamilton,  the  subject 
General  Greene,  not  long  dead.  Washington 
was  too  ill  to  be  present,  but  the  procession 
passed  his  house,  and  he  presented  himself  at 
the  door  in  full  regimentals.  The  church  was 
filled  with  the  rank  and  fashion  of  the  town. 
So  fine  an  audience  was  rarely  before  seen. 

The  wife  of  each  member  of  the  Cabinet  had 


222 


THE  FIRST  ADMINISTRATION 


an  evening.  Wednesday  was  Mi's.  Hamilton’s, 
Thursday,  Mrs.  Jay’s,  Friday,  Lady  Christina 
Griffin’s,  the  wife  of  the  Speaker  of  the  House, 
Saturday  evening  belonged  to  Mrs.  Knox. 
The  diplomatic  corps  was  equally  hospitable. 
Miss  Yan  Berchel,  the  daughter  of  the  Belgian 
Minister,  had  her  reception  day.  Madame  de 
Moustier  was  a popular  and  spirited  hostess. 
With  her  was  her  sister-in-law,  the  Countess 
de  Brehan,  a miniature  painter,  to  whom  the 
President  gave  many  sittings,  groaning  in  spirit. 
She  was  a masterful  person,  and  the  Legation 
was  “ entirely  governed  by  this  little,  singular, 
whimsical,  hysterical  old  woman,  whose  delight 
is  in  playing  with  a negro  child  and  caressing  a 
monkey.”  This  at  least  is  the  character  given 
her  by  General  John  Armstrong. 

The  home  of  the  Hamiltons  was  the  scene 
of  much  hospitality.  The  popularity  of  the 
host  and  hostess  without  the  official  seal  would 
have  made  it  a social  centre.  There  are  rec- 
ords of  famous  dinners,  one  to  Mr.  Jefferson, 
newly  arrived  from  France,  in  a blue  coat  with 
large  bright  buttons,  his  vest  and  small-clothes 
of  crimson.  His  animated  countenance  was  of 
a brick-red  hue,  his  bright  eye  and  foxy  hair, 
his  tall,  gaunt,  ungainly  form  and  square  shoul- 
ders, in  perfect  contrast  with  the  small, 
graceful  Hamilton,  his  great  antagonist.  The 

223 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


Patroon  and  liis  wife,  Margaret  Schuyler,  were 
among  the  guests.  It  was  a brilliant  company. 
Mr.  Jefferson  led  the  talk,  which  was  afterward 
well  remembered  for  his  sympathies  with  the 
French  people  and  his  desire  that  they  should 
abolish  the  monarchy.  Another  memorable 
scene  was  the  dedication  of  Trinity  Church, 
rebuilt  after  the  fire.  The  President  sat  in  a 
canopied  pew,  and  all  the  officials  were  present, 
while  Dr.  Auchmuty  preached  the  sermon. 
After  the  services  General  and  Mrs.  Schuyler 
went  to  the  President’s  to  dine. 

Mrs.  Van  Rensselaer  and  the  Patroon,  young, 
handsome,  distinguished,  rich,  were  frequent 
visitors  to  town.  The  President’s  diary  re- 
cords that  “ Schuyler  & Wife,  Mrs.  Van  Rens- 
slaer,  dined  with  Mrs.  Knox,  Baron  Steuben, 
and  others”  at  the  Executive  mansion.  Mrs. 
Yan  Rensselaer’s  presence  is  noted  at  a 
drawing-room,  inasmuch  as  it  interfered  with 
“ Rutherford’s  wife  having  a talk  with  my 
lady.”  Meanwhile,  the  coalition  in  politics  of 
General  Schuyler  and  his  sons-in-law  Ham- 
ilton and  the  Patroon  obtained  some  formid- 
able elements.  The  presence  of  two  daughters 
in  social  life  was  subsequently  reinforced  by  a 
third.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Church  returned  from 
England  with  all  the  prestige  of  a successful 
private  and  public  career. 

224 


THE  FIRST  ADMINISTRATION 


Returning  to  live  in  this  country,  they  took 
a fine  house  and  lived  in  great  style.  Ap- 
parently Mrs.  Church  brought  with  her  the 
latest  novelties.  Walter  Rutherford  remarks 
“ a late  abominable  fashion  from  London,  of 
Ladies  like  Washwomen  with  their  sleeves 
above  their  elbows,  Mrs.  Church  among  others  ” 
— this  among  the  comments  on  her  dinner 
party. 

It  was  remarked  by  Noah  Webster,  that  the 
Dutch  leaven  of  sobriety,  economy,  and  deco- 
rousness was  still  felt  in  New  York,  notwith- 
standing the  natural  reaction  after  an  exhausting 
war,  followed  by  a triumphant  peace.  Official 
society  during  the  first  administration  was  so 
formal,  that  the  Democrats,  daily  becoming 
more  important  by  their  charges  of  the  mon- 
archical tendencies  of  the  time,  obliged  Wash- 
ington, though  privately,  to  make  a defence  of 
the  routine  he  had  been  compelled  to  exact  and 
follow.  The  glimpses  of  domestic  life  are  pic- 
tures of  peace  and  contentment.  Such  is  that 
of  Mrs.  Hamilton  “ seated  as  her  wont  at  the 
table,  with  a napkin  in  her  lap,  cutting  slices 
of  bread  and  spreading  them  with  butter  for  the 
younger  boys,  who  standing  by  her  side  read 
in  turn  a chapter  in  the  Bible  or  a portion  of 
Goldsmith’s  Rome.  When  the  lessons  were 
finished  the  father  and  the  elder  children  were 


15 


225 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


called  to  Breakfast  after  which  the  boys  were 
packed  off  to  school.” 

At  length,  the  Government  bore  away  to 
Philadelphia  its  pageantry,  its  social  struggles, 
and  its  own  troubles.  General  Schuyler  had 
drawn  the  short  term  as  Senator,  and  as  candi- 
date for  re-election  had  been  defeated  by  Aaron 
Burr.  The  family  had  returned  to  Albany  and 
resumed  its  life. 


226 


XI V 


NEARING  THE  END 

Political  storms  continued  to  rage,  but 
through  them  all  Catherine  Schuyler  main- 
tained that  intense  personal  family  life  which 
tends  to  promote  the  larger  affairs  of  men  as 
well  as  contributes  to  domestic  happiness.  No 
men  were  ever  better  entrenched  for  political 
conflict  than  Schuyler  and  Hamilton.  Their 
homes  were  centre  of  peace  ; their  material 
considerations  guarded.  Whatever  strength 
they  had  was  for  the  fray.  Nothing  could  be 
more  unlike  the  contest  between  Federalist 
and  Democrat  than  the  simple  domestic  record 
of  these  two  households.  The  affectionate  in- 
tercourse between  children,  parents,  and  grand- 
parents reflected  in  all  the  correspondence 
accessible  makes  an  effective  contrast  to  the 
feverish  state  of  public  opinion  and  the  contro- 
versies then  raging.  Nowhere  would  one  find 
a more  ideal  illustration  of  the  place  home 
and  family  ties  should  supply  as  an  alleviation 

227 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


for  the  turmoils  and  disappointments  of  public 
life. 

Catherine  Schuyler  and  her  elder  daughters 
were  brought  very  near  together  by  their 
children.  Catherine,  her  last  born,  was  younger 
than  Philip,  her  daughter  Angelica’s  oldest 
son,  and  scarcely  older  than  Philip  Hamilton, 
her  daughter  Elizabeth’s  oldest  son.  The  pleas- 
antest commerce  existed  between  the  house- 
holds at  Albany  and  New  York,  where  Mrs. 
Church  and  young  Mrs.  Morton  were  now 
living,  and  Philadelphia,  where  the  Hamiltons 
had  followed  the  Government.  Captain  Bagg’s 
sloop  is  called  upon  to  deliver  twenty  bushels 
of  potatoes  to  be  divided  between  them, 
“ mama  sends  some  starch  to  Cornelia.”  Cathe- 
rine is  visiting  at  the  Hamiltons,  and  is  ad- 
vised to  consult  Alexander  as  to  the  books 
she  should  read,  and  the  propriety  of  study- 
ing French.  Angelica  Hamilton  is  studying 
French,  — Angelica  the  “ very  dear  daughter  ” 
of  whom  there  are  pleasant  pictures  as  she  sits 
at  the  piano  playing  while  her  father  sings, 
and  whose  death  sent  her  into  a sudden  and 
permanent  melancholy.  The  grandchildren  are 
never  forgotten.  Lottery  tickets  were  not 
held  in  disrepute  by  the  earlier  generation. 
Philip  Hamilton  is  grateful  “for  three  receipts 
for  shares  in  the  Tontine  Tavern  amounting 

22S 


NEARING  TEE  END 


to  £500  ” from  Albany  with  a letter  containing 
good  advice,  “ which  I am  very  sensible  of  its 
being  very  necessary  to  me  to  pay  particular 
attention  to  in  order  to  be  a good  man.”  At  an- 
other time  “ your  mama  sends  her  two  grand- 
daughters some  trifles  from  the  convent  at  Mon- 
treal, Birch  bark  worked  with  moose  hair.” 

Or  it  is  for  her  daughters  : “ your  mama 
will  strive  all  in  her  power  to  procure  for  you 
a good  wench,  they  are  rare  to  be  met  with.” 
She  is  visiting  her  daughter  Mrs.  Church  in 
New  York,  and  General  Schuyler  writes : 
“ My  love  to  your  dear  Mama,  she  will  pardon 
me  for  not  writing  [he  had  been  suffering 
with  gout]  as  It  will  be  of  benefit  to  her  to 
enjoy  the  company  of  children  so  dear  to  her 
& me.  Try  to  prolong  her  stay  as  much  as 
possible.”  John  Bradstreet,  the  eldest  son,  to 
whom  the  estate  of  Saratoga  was  given,  had 
married  Elizabeth  Van  Rensselaer,  the  sister 
of  the  Patroon  Stephen,  the  husband  of 
Margaret  Schuyler.  His  married  life  was  brief. 
He  died  a few  years  after,  leaving  a boy,  Philip, 
to  be  the  representative  of  the  name.  This 
boy  was  sent  to  the  Hamiltons’,  and  with  young 
Cortland  Schuyler  and  the  Hamilton  boys  went 
to  Bishop  Moore’s  school  for  boys  on  Staten 
Island,  returning  to  New  York  Friday  even- 
ings to  spend  Sundays  with  the  Hamiltons. 

229 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


There  was  another  guest  about  this  time. 
This  was  George  Lafayette,  the  son  of  General 
Lafayette,  whose  father  had  sent  him  to  his 
old  friend  Hamilton  that  he  might  escape  the 
perils  of  the  French  Revolution,  in  which  he 
himself  was  involved.  Hamilton  received  him 
like  a son,  and  he  made  one  of  this  interesting 
group  of  young  people.  At  this  moment  there 
was  nothing  but  happiness  and  hope  in  con- 
templating them.  Whatever  might  be  the 
stress  of  public  affairs,  the  education,  manners, 
and  morals  of  these  young  people  received 
attention.  This  was  united  with  a polite  con- 
sideration for  their  desires  which  does  not 
always  find  a place  in  discipline.  “ Let  me 
know  what  is  most  pleasing  to  you,”  “ a 
promise  must  never  be  broken,”  are  expres- 
sions that  find  place  as  often  as  admonition. 
“ We  hope  you  will  in  every  respect  behave 
in  such  a manner  as  will  secure  you  the  good 
will  of  and  regard  of  all  those  with  whom  you 
are.  If  you  happen  to  displease  any  of  them, 
be  always  ready  to  make  a frank  apology. 
But  the  best  way  is  to  act  with  so  much  polite- 
ness, good  manners  and  circumspection  as 
never  to  have  any  occasion  to  make  an  apol- 
ogy.” Extracts  such  as  these  pass  from  parent 
to  children,  coupled  with  the  expressions  of 
deepest  affection. 


230 


NEARING  THE  END 


General  Schuyler  had  been  defeated  for  the 
Senate  by  Burr,  who  during  the  first  adminis- 
tration was  quietly  practising  law  at  Albany 
and  writing  impassioned  letters  to  Theodosia 
in  New  York  as  if  there  was  no  such  thing  as 
politics  in  existence.  The  Albany  house  had 
long  been  the  rallying-place  for  the  party.  In 
its  library  Hamilton  wrote  many  of  the  sections 
of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  for 
whose  adoption  he  pleaded  with  such  passionate 
eloquence  in  the  Convention.  It  is  difficult 
now  to  realize  that  the  Empire  State  entered 
into  the  Union  only  after  a stubborn  contest 
and  with  only  a majority  of  three  votes.  The 
triumph  was  all  the  more  complete.  Nowhere 
was  it  celebrated  with  greater  enthusiasm  than 
in  Albany.  There  was  a great  parade  of  citi- 
zens, in  which  General  Schuyler  and  Hamilton 
walked  at  the  head,  and  the  house  burst  forth 
into  an  illumination  so  brilliant  that  all  the 
town  came  to  see.  In  comparison  with  this, 
“ Hamiltonopolis,”  as  New  York  was  satiri- 
cally called  by  the  Democrats,  was  gloomy  and 
uninspiring. 

In  the  same  library  Hamilton  worked  out  a 
large  part  of  his  financial  policy,  while  small 
feet  were  pattering  through  the  halls,  and  in 
the  midst  of  a warm,  sustaining,  affectionate 
family  life.  Whatever  debt  the  nation  or  the 

231 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


State  owes  to  the  most  brilliant  statesman  New 
York  has  produced,  it  must  be  shared  with 
those  protecting  influences  which  freed  his 
mind  from  sordid  cares ; for  the  Hamiltons 
were  poor,  and  the  wants  of  a rapidly  in- 
creasing family  pressing.  Another  son-in-law, 
Stephen  Van  Rensselaer,  made  a third  of  this 
powerful  triumvirate.  He  was  nominated  for 
Lieutenant  Governor  on  the  State  ticket  with 
John  Jay  at  the  head.  Young,  rich,  powerful, 
allied  with  one  of  the  foremost  men  of  the 
State,  and  full  of  honors,  it  was  a memorable 
campaign.  The  memorandum  books  of  the 
gentlemen  are  filled  with  bets  on  the  issue. 
Beaver  hats  and  silk  stockings,  for  it  was 
still  the  day  of  knee  breeches,  are  the  favorite 
wagers.  The  Federalists  triumphed.  There 
were  great  rejoicings.  In  New  York  a public 
dinner  was  given  to  General  Schuyler,  Hamil- 
ton, and  the  Patroon.  Tickets  were  four  dol- 
lars, and  it  was  hoped  that  the  President  would 
come.  In  1795,  however,  Hamilton  resigned 
his  seat  in  the  Cabinet.  His  reasons  are  given 
in  a letter  to  his  wife’s  sister,  Mrs.  Church : 

“To  endulge  my  domestic  happiness  more  freely 
was  the  principal  motive  for  relinquishing  an 
office  in  which  it  is  said  I have  gained  some  glory, 
and  the  difficulties  of  which  had  just  been  subdued. 
Eliza  and  her  children  are  here  with  me  at  your 
232 


NEARING  THE  END 


fathers  house,  who  is  himself  in  New  York  attend- 
ing the  Legislature.  We  remain  here  until  June, 
when  we  become  stationary  at  New  York,  where 
I resume  the  practice  of  law.  For,  my  dear  sister 
I tell  you  without  regret  what  I hope  you  antici- 
pate, that  I am  poorer  than  I went  into  office. 
I allot  myself  four  or  live  years  of  work  than  will 
he  pleasant,  though  much  less  than  I have  had  for 
the  last  five  years.5’ 

With  the  increasing  years  Catherine  Schuy- 
ler had  become  very  stout,  and  her  short  stat- 
ure did  not  allow  her  to  carry  her  new  burden 
with  ease.  Always  gracefully  self-possessed 
and  accustomed  to  mingling  largely  in  social 
life,  and  to  exercising  hospitality  of  the  wid- 
est, most  varied  character,  she  was  without 
social  ambitions,  and  her  natural  inclinations 
remained  retiring  and  domestic.  Now  that 
her  place  could  be  taken  by  daughters  who  had 
pronounced  social  taste  she  mingled  less  and 
less  with  the  world  outside  of  her  own  house. 
Hither,  however,  the  world  continued  to  come. 
General  Schuyler  was  on  the  Canal  Commis- 
sion. The  feasibility  of  connecting  the  sea 
with  the  great  lakes  had  never  been  relin- 
quished since  when  a young  man  he  saw  in 
England  the  Duke  of  Bridgewater’s  canal. 
Now  Catherine  Schuyler  was  called  upon  to 
entertain  Elkanah  Watson,  associated  with  her 

233 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


husband  in  the  project.  The  Commissioners 
spent  the  summer  preparing  for  the  undertak- 
ing. One  of  their  duties  was  to  gain  the  good 
will  of  the  stolid  Dutch  farmers  on  the  Mohawk, 
who  could  not  be  made  to  believe  that  water 
could  run  up  hill.  After  an  evening  of  argu- 
ment it  was  found  that  words  were  not  ade- 
quate. Wearied  with  talk,  they  all  went  to  bed. 
General  Schuyler  could  not  sleep.  Getting  up 
he  went  out  doors  and  spent  the  night  con- 
structing a series  of  locks  out  of  earth  and 
shingles.  When  done  he  routed  out  the  Dutch- 
men and  showed  them  how  water  could  be  made 
to  run  up  hill.  The  thing  was  confessed  with 
many  grunts  and  gutturals,  but  their  opposition 
was  withdrawn.  Associated  with  the  Commis- 
sioners in  the  scheme  were  the  Swedish  en- 
gineer William  Seaton,  and  Brunei,  the  young 
Frenchman,  afterwards  knighted  for  building 
the  Thames  tunnel.  Both  of  these  were  famil- 
iar visitors  at  the  Schuyler  mansion.  There 
were  great  formal  occasions  when  General  and 
Mrs.  Schuyler,  as  was  their  custom,  entertained 
the  Supreme  Court  and  the  Court  of  Chancery 
in  a body  when  sitting  in  Albany,  among  them 
Jay,  Kent,  Livingston,  and  Lansing. 

The  estate  at  Saratoga,  after  the  death  of 
their  eldest  son  and  during  the  minority  of  the 
heir,  still  remained  the  family  home  for  part  of 

2.34 


NEARING  TEE  END 


the  year.  After  the  perils  and  fatigues  of  war, 
after  the  storm  and  stress  of  political  life,  there 
remained  the  peaceful  pleasures  of  the  garden 
and  fields.  The  harmony  of  tastes  between 
the  Washingtons  and  Schuylers  in  the  love 
of  country  life  finds  expression  in  their  corres- 
pondence after  the  President  had  retired  to 
Mount  Vernon.  During  the  war  he  had  twice 
visited  Albany  : once  in  his  tour  of  military 
inspection  in  1783  with  his  generals,  Knox, 
Greene,  Steuben,  and  Governor  Clinton,  while 
the  army  was  at  Newburgh.  At  Albany  Mayor 
Ten  Broek  gave  them  a dinner  at  Hugh  Don- 
nithorne’s  tavern,  and  in  the  evening  they 
attended  a brilliant  reception  at  the  Schuy- 
lers’. The  next  year  Washington  paid  an- 
other visit  to  Albany,  and  after  spending  the 
evening  in  consultation  with  General  Schuyler 
on  public  affairs,  remained  the  night.  Mrs. 
Schuyler  and  Mrs.  Washington  knew  one  an- 
other well  in  the  intimacy  of  camp  life  and 
through  the  alliances  of  politics.  Both  were 
domestic  in  their  tastes,  and  devoted  to  their 
country  homes.  Washington  now  desired  to 
repay  the  civilities  he  had  received  at  the 
Schuylers’,  and  invited  the  General  and  his  wife 
to  visit  Mount  Vernon.  General  Schuyler, 
whose  attacks  of  gout  had  become  more  fre- 
quent and  more  painful,  was  unable  to  accept, 

235 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


although  he  writes  to  his  daughter  at  this 
time,  “ Your  mama  looks  as  young  as  she 
did  fifteen  years  ago.”  In  reply  Washington 
says : “ I persuade  myself  that  it  is  unneces- 
sary to  add  that  if  ill  health  and  under  other 
circumstances  had  permitted  you  and  Mrs 
Schuyler  to  visit  Mrs  Washington  and  myself 
it  would  have  been  a most  pleasing  evidence  of 
your  regard ; and  the  more  so  as  neither  she  nor 
I had  ever  expected  to  be  twenty-five  miles  away 
from  home  again  in  our  lives.”  Washington 
at  the  time  of  writing  was  in  Philadelphia, 
called  thither  on  military  embroilments,  and 
General  Schuyler,  in  spite  of  his  ailments,  was 
undergoing  a political  campaign  which  resulted 
in  his  election  to  the  United  States  Senate. 
Thus  both  had  been  taken  away  from  the 
peaceful  arts  of  agriculture  to  which  their 
hearts  inclined. 

Whatever  might  be  the  vicissitudes  in  affairs 
the  improvement  of  the  Saratoga  estate  was 
carried  forward.  During  the  anxieties  that 
preceded  the  battle  of  Saratoga  Mrs.  Schuyler 
is  sending  to  “ Mr.  Robert  Morris  Merchant  at 
Philadelphia,”  for  large  strawberry  plants. 
Now  willow  cuttings  are  being  forwarded,  and 
garden  seeds  occupy  a certain  part  of  the 
correspondence  of  the  various  aides.  John 
Grahame,  the  gardener,  keeps  Mrs.  Schuyler 

236 


NEARING  THE  END 


informed  of  the  progress  of  things  when  she 
is  not  there,  “ and  would  be  very  sorry  if  the 
General  or  Madame  should  see  it,  so  overgrown 
is  the  garden  until  it  is  in  better  order.”  Such 
reputation  has  the  place  achieved  that  there  is 
a request  for  “ White  pine,  balm  of  Gilead, 
sugar  maple,  ash,  white  and  black,  swamp  elm 
for  the  garden  of  king  George  IV,”  with  the 
assurance  that  any  choice  plants  that  the  King 
has  will  be  given  in  exchange. 

At  length  the  shadows  began  to  gather. 
General  Schuyler’s  health  became  so  precarious 
that  he  was  obliged  to  resign  his  seat  in  the 
Senate.  “ I hear  that  Schuyler  has  lost  his 
eyesight,”  Walter  Rutherford  wrote  in  1797. 
However  that  might  be,  he  prepared  about  this 
time  a paper  which  at  this  moment  has  a curi- 
ous interest,  and  this  is  in  his  own  handwrit- 
ing. His  daughter,  Mrs.  Church,  had  put  to 
him  the  perplexing  mathematical  question  con- 
cerning the  beginning  of  the  century,  which 
was  then  near  at  hand,  and  a question  which 
has  arisen  again  to  confound  the  present  gen- 
eration. In  answer  he  wrote  a long  document 
accompanied  by  a diagram,  which  is  now  lost. 
His  opinion  was  demonstrated  and  fortified 
from  every  point  of  view  and  covers  a number 
of  closely  written  foolscap  pages.  One  of 
these  explanations  supposed  a series  of  mile- 
237 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


stones  to  be  erected  from  the  City  Hall,  New 
York,  to  Albany,  with  the  remark  that  if  the 
figure  1 be  placed  on  the  stone  at  the  City  Hall, 
the  figure  2 on  the  second  milestone  could  not 
in  the  face  of  facts  imply  that  it  registered  two 
miles  from  the  City  Hall.  This  illustration  he 
continues  throughout  the  series  of  milestones 
all  the  way  to  Albany,  where  the  last  milestone 
stands  for  the  last  date  of  the  century  pass- 
ing out. 

In  the  letter  from  W ashington  quoted  he  adds : 
“ Your  grandson  has  all  the  exterior  of  a fine 
young  man  and  from  what  I have  heard  of  his 
intellect  and  principles  will  do  justice  to  and  re- 
ward the  precepts  he  has  received  from  yourself, 
his  parents  and  Uncle  Hamilton.  So  far  then  as 
my  attentions  to  him  will  go,  consistent  with  my 
duties,  he  may  assuredly  count  upon.”  This 
youth  was  Philip  Church,  who  had  been  educated 
at  Eton  and  was  now  on  Hamilton’s  staff  in  the 
Whiskey  insurrection  that  had  been  engaging 
attention  in  Pennsylvania.  The  promise  of 
Washington  was  afterward  handsomely  ful- 
filled when  the  young  man  married  Ann  Stuart, 
the  daughter  of  General  Walter  Stuart,  and  the 
President  gave  the  bride  away  and  presented  her 
with  his  miniature  surrounded  with  diamonds. 
But  before  this  young  Church  was  the  second 
of  Philip  Hamilton  in  the  duel  in  which  he  lost 

238 


NEARING  THE  END 


his  life.  It  was  a boyish  affair  with  another 
student,  but  plunged  two  households  in  grief, 
for  whatever  touched  the  Hamiltons  struck  at 
the  devoted  parents.  The  next  year  Margaret, 
the  wife  of  the  Patroon,  the  bright,  high- 
spirited,  generous  Margaret,  died,  leaving  one 
child.  It  was  a cruel  stroke,  and  made  a pro- 
found impression  among  the  large  circle  of 
kinspeople  up  and  down  the  Hudson.  The 
pomp  and  circumstance  of  her  funeral  at  the 
manor  house,  with  the  retinue  of  tenants  in 
mourning  and  their  subsequent  entertainment, 
is  among  the  traditions  of  Albany. 

In  the  long,  varied,  active  life  of  Catherine 
Schuyler  there  is  no  record  of  anything 
claimed  for  herself,  even  for  the  attentions 
which  illness  may  reasonably  exact.  She  had 
fourteen  children,  but  these  are  recorded  as 
achievements,  as  valued  possessions,  as  cher- 
ished gifts  from  Heaven.  There  is  neither 
word  nor  line  to  indicate  that  their  mother 
ever  relinquished  any  duty  or  failed  to  perform 
any  part  of  the  routine  of  her  life,  by  reason  of 
either  the  bearing  or  rearing  of  children.  When 
death  came  into  the  household  it  was  met  ap- 
propriately, without  moan  or  complaint.  Sud- 
denly, in  1803,  she  died  of  apoplexy.  The  best 
tribute  to  her  life,  and  the  best  evidence  of  what 
it  was  to  those  about  her,  may  be  learned  from 

239 


CATHERINE  SCHUYLER 


one  who  knew  her  best,  her  husband.  General 
Schuyler,  in  his  grief,  turns  to  Hamilton  : — 

“Every  letter  of  yours  affords  a means  of  conso- 
lation and  I am  aware  that  nothing  tends  so  much 
to  the  alleviation  of  distress  as  the  personal  inter- 
course of  a sincere  friend  and  the  endearing  atten- 
tions of  children.  I shall  therefore  delay  no  longer 
than  is  indisputably  necessary  my  visit  to  you. 
My  trial  has  been  severe,  I shall  attempt  to  sustain 
it  with  fortitude,  I hope  I have  succeeded  in  a 
degree,  but  after  giving  and  receiving  for  nearly 
a half  a century,  a series  of  mutual  evidences  of 
affection  and  friendship  which  increased  as  we  ad- 
vanced in  life  the  shock  was  great  and  sensibly 
felt,  to  be  thus  suddenly  deprived  of  a beloved  wife, 
the  mother  of  my  children,  and  the  soothing  com- 
panion of  my  declining  years.  But  I kiss  the  rod 
with  humility.  The  Being  that  inflicted  the  stroke 
will  enable  me  to  sustain  the  smart,  and  progres- 
sively restore  peace  to  my  wounded  heart,  and  will 
make  you  and  my  Eliza  and  my  other  children  the 
instruments  of  my  consolation.” 

In  her  death  she  was  mercifully  preserved 
from  two  afflictions  that  swiftly  followed,  — the 
untimely  death  of  Hamilton  in  his  duel  with 
Aaron  Burr,  and  that  of  her  husband,  both  of 
which  occurred  the  ensuing  year.  She  lies  in 
the  cemetery  at  Albany,  her  husband  by  her 
side,  and  under  the  shadow  of  his  name. 


240 


INDEX 


Abercrombie,  General,  at  Al- 
bany, 44  ; at  The  Flatts,  55, 
recalled,  61. 

Ackland,  Lady  Harriet,  157. 

Adams,  Abigail,  as  a penwoman, 
42  ; on  Burgoyne,  161 ; on 
Richmond  Hill,  220. 

Adams,  John,  220. 

Albany  house,  description  of, 

66. 

Alexander,  Madame  James,  43. 

Allen,  Ethan,  142. 

Ames,  Fisher,  221. 

Amherst,  Lord,  arrives,  61 ; 
writes  of  Schuyler,  62  ; letter 
to  Bradstreet,  76  ; his  fishing 
club,  105. 

Amusements,  among  the  Dutch, 
3 ; in  New  York  City,  104- 
107. 

Andre,  Major,  176;  Hamilton 
on,  183. 

Armstrong,  General  John,  223. 

Arnold,  Benedict,  Schuyler  to, 
182 ; treason  of,  183. 

Arts,  Society  of,  80  ; medal  to 
Schuyler,  114. 

Astor,  Jacob,  224. 

Auchmuty,  Dr.,  224. 


Baker,  Captain,  remembrance, 
story  of,  115. 

Bangs,  Lieutenant,  108. 

Barn,  at  The  Flatts,  53  ; hospi- 
tal, 58. 

Bayards,  home  of,  102. 

Benson,  Egbert,  126. 

Bernier,  to  Schuyler,  35. 

Berry,  Thomas,  73. 

Betting  on  elections,  232. 

Bleeker,  Ann  Eliza,  poet,  41  ; 
her  escape,  153. 

Bleeker,  Gertrude,  pew  of,  28. 

Bogardus,  Rev.  Everardus,  23. 

Boone,  Governor,  100. 

Boudinot,  Elias,  to  his  wife,  40  ; 
reading  of  family,  75. 

Boudinot,  Susan,  at  Morris- 
town, 170. 

Bradstreet,  General  John,  at 
Oswego,  49  ; introduces  Lord 
Loudoun,  54  ; sends  for 
Schuyler,  55;  takes  Fronte- 
nac,  60  ; defeat  at  Oswego, 
61 ; family  affairs,  62  ; and 
Albany  house,  65  ; land 
owner,  80;  against  Pontiac, 
122  ; death  of,  129. 

Brand,  Professor,  85. 

Brant,  Joseph,  94;  asaTory,133. 


16 


241 


INDEX 


Brant.  Molly,  94. 

Brehan,  Countess  de,  223. 

Brissot  de  Warville,  on  the  Hud- 
son, 96  ; on  luxury  of  Ameri- 
cans, 211;  on  low  dresses, 
215 ; on  Mrs.  Hamilton,  222. 

Brunei,  engineer,  234. 

Bull,  Governor,  119. 

Burgoyne,  at  Saratoga,  156 ; at 
Albany,  159. 

Burns’s  Coffee  House,  104. 

Burr,  Aaron,  home  of,  102;  at 
Morristown,  172;  elected  to 
the  senate,  226;  in  Albany, 
231;  duel  with  Hamilton, 
240. 

Burr,  Mrs.,  letters  to,  231. 


Cari.eton,  Colonel  Guy,  98. 

Carroll,  Charles,  at  the  Scliuy- 
lers,  147 ; on  the  young 
ladies,  148. 

Carroll,  Dr.  John,  147. 

Carter,  John  B.  (see  Church). 

Chandler,  Rev.  Sam,  54. 

Chase,  Samuel,  147. 

Chastellux,  on  Burgoyne’s 
stay  at  Schuyler’s,  162; 
visits  Albany,  163  ; on  Mrs. 
Church,  192  ; describes  Mar- 
garet, 194. 

Cherokee  chiefs,  visit  of,  119. 

Church,  Angelica  Schuyler, 
birth  of,  48;  visits  Lady 
Moore,  100;  message  from, 
112;  her  marriage,  191; 
farmer’s  comment  on,  192; 
birth  of  son,  193 ; Churches 
in  London,  201  ; her  ball,  225 ; 
living  in  New  York  City,  228 ; 
visited  bj-  her  mother,  229; 
letter  from  Hamilton,  232; 
letter  from  her  father,  237. 


Church,  Dutch  Reformed,  at 
Albany,  27. 

Church,  John  Barker,  marriage, 
191 ; in  London,  201 ; returns 
from  England,  224. 

Church,  Philip,  at  Albany,  193; 
Washington  on,  238. 

Claverack,  lower  manor  house, 

2. 

Clinton,  George,  at  Indian 
Council,  120 ; at  Saratoga, 
127. 

Cochran,  Gertrude  Schuyler, 
marriage,  59;  death  of  her 
mother,  76;  at  New  Bruns- 
wick, 177;  Washington’s  in- 
vitation to,  177 ; visited  by 
Elizabeth,  178;  at  review, 
181. 

Cochran,  Dr.  John,  marriage, 
59;  “Bones,”  177;  on  his 
stepson,  188. 

Colden,  Cadwallader,  to  Assem- 
bly, 14. 

Colden,  Jane,  101. 

Colfax,  William,  captain  of 
Washington’s  body  guard, 
172  ; at  Bound  Brook  review, 
181. 

Cruger,  Henry,  187. 

Cruger,  Miss,  187. 

Cruger,  Mrs.,  letter  to,  48. 

Custis,  George  Parke,  219. 

Cuvier,  Mayor,  49. 

Cuyler,  Mrs.,  30. 

Cuyler,  Misses,  58. 

Damas,  Count  de,  at  Albany, 
164. 

Dancing,  in  New  York,  106. 

“ Darby’s  Return,”  played  at 
John  Street  Theatre,  218. 

DeLancy,  James,  his  horse, 
105. 


242 


INDEX 


DeLancr,  Stephen,  19;  home 
of,  102. 

DeLancy,  Susanna,  102. 

Denniston,  Isaac,  68. 

Dieskau,  Baron,  at  Lake 
George,  21;  prisoner,  35. 

Donnitkorne,  Hugh,  innkeeper, 
235. 

Draper,  Sir  William,  101. 

Drummond,  Rev.,  at  Saratoga, 
118. 

Duer,  William,  playing  Brutus, 
219. 

Dunscomb,  Mrs.,  her  boarding- 
house, 221. 

Dupanloup,  M.,  dancing  mas- 
ter, 74. 

Dutch  women,  in  affairs,  42;  as 
florists,  68;  education  of,  9; 
household  effects  of,  69 ; dress 
of,  72. 


Economy,  among  the  colonists, 
113. 

Extravagance,  in  New  York 
City,  212. 


Fashion,  in  the  Colonies,  23. 

Fillmore,  Millard,  66. 

Fish,  Colonel  Nicholas,  5. 

Flatts,  The,  household  at,  33; 
description  of,  51. 

Fonda,  Jelles,  26. 

Francis,  Sir  Philip,  his  rela- 
tive writes,  105;  on  politics, 
109. 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  scheme  of 
Federation,  16;  experiment- 
ing, 105;  at  Albany,  147; 
sick  at  Saratoga,  147 ; to  pri- 
vate Quincy,  148;  letter  to 
Schuyler,  149. 


Franks,  Rebeeca,  on  New  York 
girls,  224. 

Fraunces,  Sam,  hotel  of,  103; 
Washington’s  steward,  217. 

Frelinghuysen,  Rev.  Theodore, 
guardian  of  morals,  45;  ad- 
ministers reproof,  46;  leaves 
Albany,  47. 

Funerals,  among  the  Dutch,  76. 

Gage,  General,  99. 

Gage,  Mrs.,  struggles  for  pre- 
cedence, 100. 

Gaines’s  “Mercury,”  on  econ- 
omy, 114. 

Gall,  Mrs.,  teaches  spinning, 
113. 

Galloway,  Sam,  owns  horse 
Selim,  105. 

Gansvoort,  Maria,  invitation 
to  wedding,  26. 

Garden,  at  Albany,  68. 

Garris,  Thomas,  213. 

Gates,  General  Horatio,  at 
Albany,  150;.  supersedes 
Schuyler,  155. 

Gates,  Mrs.,  62;  her  riding- 
habit,  168. 

“ Gazette,”  New  York,  de- 
scribes dresses,  211 ; com- 
plains of  extravagance,  212 ; 
on  the  President  at  the 
theatre,  218. 

George  III.,  statue  of,  104. 

George  IV.,  desires  plants,  237. 

Gilliland,  William,  114. 

Girls,  their  household  duties, 
8 ; of  the  Revolution,  186. 

Grahame,  John,  236. 

Grant,  Mrs.,  on  amusements  at 
Albany,  3 ; on  Lord  Howe,  57 ; 
on  household  at  The  Flatts, 
69;  on  table,  70;  on  Sir 
Henry  Moore,  92;  on  the 


243 


INDEX 


Hudson,  97 ; on  Green  Moun- 
tain Boys,  115;  on  stolen 
children,  122. 

Grant,  Widow,  124. 

Greene,  General,  to  his  wife  at 
Morristown,  170;  Hamilton’s 
oration  on,  222;  reception  at 
Schuylers,  235. 

Greene,  Mrs.,  at  Morristown, 
167;  baby  born,  175;  at 
Washington’s  theatre  party, 
217. 

Green  Mountain  Boys,  88. 

Greenwood,  John,  213. 

Griffin,  Lady  Christina,  her  re- 
ceptions, 223. 

Gourlay,  James,  73. 

“Hail  Columbia,”  first 
played,  218. 

Hamilton,  Alexander,  marriage 
of,  66;  aide-de-camp,  172; 
at  Albany,  179;  goes  court- 
ing, 179;  engagement  to 
Elizabeth,  179;  at  Bound 
Brook  review,  182  ; love 
letter  of,  185  ; quarrel  with 
Washington,  197  ; living  at 
Albany,  197  ; letter  to  Meade, 
198;  to  Lafayette,  199; 
at  Washington’s  theatre 
party,  217;  home  of,  220; 
Secretary  of  Treasury,  220; 
Talleyrand  on,  222;  dinner  to 
Jefferson,  223;  advice  to  his 
son,  230;  in  Schuyler  library, 
231;  public  dinner  to,  232; 
letter  to  Mrs.  Church,  232 ; 
Schuyler’s  letter  to,  240  ; 
death  of,  240. 

Hamilton,  Mrs.  Alexander, 
born  Elizabeth  Schuyler,  52; 
described  by  Tench  Tilgh- 
man,  135;  at  Morristown, 


178;  Hamilton’s  courtship 
of,  180 ; her  head-dress,  181 ; 
letters  from  Hamilton  on 
Arnold’s  treason,  183;  love 
letter  to,  185;  dining  with 
Washington,  211;  at  Wash- 
ington’s theatre  part}',  217; 
with  her  daughter,  225 ; living 
in  Philadelphia,  228;  leader 
in  official  society,  221;  des- 
cribed by  Brissot  de  War- 
ville,  222 ; her  reception, 
223. 

Hamilton,  Angelica,  playing 
the  piano,  228. 

Hamilton,  Philip,  228  ; killed 
in  a duel,  238. 

“ Hamiltonopolis,”  231. 

Hampden  Hall,  125. 

Hendrick,  Mohawk  chief,  16; 
speech  of,  17 ; at  Lake 
George,  20. 

Historical  Society  of  Long 
Island,  description  of  cos- 
tume, 28. 

Hospital,  New  York,  laying  the 
corner-stone,  103. 

Hospitality,  Dutch,  36. 

Hotels  in  New  York,  103; 
Lafayette  on,  118. 

House  at  Albany  described, 
67. 

Howe,  Lord,  intimacy  with  the 
Schuylers,  56;  interview  with 
Madume  Schuyler,  57 ; death 
and  burial,  58,  59. 

Huger,  Mrs.,  of  South  Caro- 
lina, 71. 

Huguenots,  influence  of,  12. 

Hulett,  Mr.,  concerts  of,  104. 

Humphreys,  Colonel  David, 
as  a poet,  209 ; at  Presi- 
dent’s table,  217  ; writes  a 
play,  219. 


244 


INDEX 


Indian  Council,  at  Albany,  16, 
137. 

Indian  Field,  151. 

Indian  Kings,  120. 

Indians,  relations  with,  the 
Schuylers,  51;  Lee’s  descrip- 
tion of,  121;  described  by 
Tench  Tilghman,  121. 

Indian  traders,  boys  as,  6. 

Janse,  Hendrik,  sues  for  slan- 
der, 23. 

Jay,  John,  at  school,  9 ; letter 
to,  80;  candidate  for  gov- 
ernor, 232;  of  Supreme 
Court,  221. 

Jay,  Mrs.,  at  Madrid,  169; 
leader  of  society,  221;  her 
receptions,  223. 

Jay,  Peter,  104. 

Jauncy’s,  home  of,  102. 

Jefferson,  dines  at  Hamiltons’, 
223. 

Johnson,  Sir  John,  marries 
Kitty  Watts,  95;  a Tory, 
133;  arms  the  Indians,  146. 

Johnson,  Sir  William,  at  In- 
dian Council,  17;  at  Lake 
George,  20;  at  Johnson  Hall, 
93 ; daughters  of,  94. 

Jones,  Lieutenant,  lover  of 
Jane  McCrea,  152. 

“ Journal,  New  York,”  origin 
of,  111. 

Kalm,  in  Albany,  70. 

Keith,  Maria,  tragedy  of,  15. 

Kennedy,  Captain  Archibald, 

101. 

Keteltas,  home  of  the,  102. 

Knox,  General,  dinner  at  Pluck  - 
emin,  168;  at  Schuylers’, 
235;  house  in  New  York, 
220. 


Knox,  Mrs.,  in  camp,  167; 
dancing  with  Washington, 
168;  loves  her  daughter,  175; 
guests  of,  181;  leader  in 
society,  221;  her  receptions, 
223. 

Lafayette,  George,  230. 

Lafayette,  on  coasting,  5 ; at 
Schuylers’,  69;  on  inns,  118; 
friend  of  Hamilton,  230. 

Lake  George,  battle  of,  20; 
Lane,  Ezra,  his  studio,  73. 

Lansing,  John,  secretary  of 
General  Schuyler,  judge, 
234. 

Lansing,  Maria,  pew  of,  28. 

Lansing,  Sanders,  78. 

Lauzun,  Chevalier  de,  173. 

Lee,  Charles,  Colonel,  and  Ma- 
dame Schuyler,  56;  wounded, 
58;  on  Indians,  121;  major- 
general,  131. 

Leutze,  picture  of  Catherine 
Schuyler,  154. 

Lewis,  Colonel,  letter  to  Gates, 
113. 

Lexington,  battle  of,  130. 

Liberty  Pole,  125. 

Lispenards,  home  of,  102. 

Livingston,  Elizabeth,  letter 
from,  124. 

Livingston,  Engeltke,  mother 
of  Catherine  Schuyler,  2. 

Livingston,  Grann}7,  96. 

Livingston,  Henry,  aide-de- 
camp,  165. 

Livingston,  James,  sheriff,  99; 
letter  from,  124. 

Livingston,  Kitty,  at  Morris- 
town, 169;  letter  from  her 
father,  214. 

Livingston,  Margarieta,  pew  in 
church,  28. 


245 


INDEX 


Livingston,  Robert,  at  college, 

22;  home  in  New  York,  221; 
at  Schuyler  reception,  231. 

Livingston,  William,  funeral 
supplies  for,  76;  in  “New 
York  .Journal,”  111. 

Livingston,  Governor  William, 
of  Liberty  Hall,  169;  on 
frivolity  in  New  York,  215; 
on  Philadelphia  girls,  211. 

Livingston,  Mrs.  Van  Brugh, 

211. 

Livingston,  Mrs.  Walter,  21. 

Lott,  Abraham,  daughter  of, 

171. 

Loudoun,  Lord,  arrival  of,  11; 
talks  with  Madame  Schuyler, 

51. 

Lynch,  Mrs.,  at  Albany,  135. 

Maceay,  William,  on  etiquette, 

209 ; on  frivolity  of  New 
Yorkers,  215. 

Madeira,  Schuyler,  71. 

Malcolm,  General,  168. 

Malcolm,  Mrs.,  visits  Mc- 
Dougall,  127 ; at  West  Point, 

168. 

Mann,  Captain.  Scoharie  Tory, 

115. 

Marriage,  among  the  Dutch,  2. 

Maunsell,  to  Gates,  100. 

McCann,  Charles,  213. 

McCrea,  Jane,  story  of,  152. 

McDougall,  Alexander,  in 
prison,  127. 

McIntosh,  Mrs.,  66. 

McNeill,  Mrs.,  152. 

McVicar,  Anne  (see  Grant, 
Mrs.). 

Meade,  letter  from  Hamilton, 
199.' 

Megaliopensis,  Dominie,  72. 

216 


“ Mercury  ” of  Hugh  Gaines 
(see  Gaines,  Hugh). 

Mirralles,  Don  Juan,  funeral  of, 
171. 

Montanyne,  Mrs.,  public  house 
of,  105. 

Montgomery,  General,  on  Yan- 
kee officers,  88;  letter  to 
Schuyler,  111;  death  of,  127. 

Moore,  Bishop,  as  a college  boy, 
126 ; school  of,  229. 

Moore,  Sir  Henry,  land  owner, 
80;  sketch  of,  92;  at  Sara- 
toga, 98 ; clemency  of,  99 ; 
and  Liberty  Pole,  125;  and 
Assembly,  i26 ; death  of,  127. 

Moore,  Lady,  at  the  Schuylers, 
93;  pays  fines,  99;  struggles 
for  precedency,  100. 

Morris,  Gouverneur,  as  college 
boy,  126;  to  Schuyler,  155; 
on  the  White  party,  215. 

Morris,  Lewis,  105. 

Morris,  Robert,  sends  straw- 
berry plants,  236. 

Morris,  Mrs.  Roger,  217. 

Morristown,  a week’s  gayeties 
at,  168. 

Morton,  Cornelia  Schuyler, 
birth  of,  81;  on  sloop,  200; 
elopement  of,  202-204;  liv- 
ing in  New  York,  228. 

Morton,  John,  home  of,  170. 

Morton,  Washington,  in  Mor- 
ristown, 170;  elopement,  202- 
204. 

Moustier,  Madame  de,  gives  a 
ball,  223;  her  reception,  223. 

Munro,  Captain  John,  116. 

Munro,  Peter  Jay,  187. 

Murray,  Mrs.  Robert,  13. 

Necicus,  Mohawk  Tory,  145. 

New  Rochelle,  school  at,  9. 


INDEX 


New  York  in  1T63,  102-111; 
society  in  1793,  209-225. 

Noailles,  Viscount  de,  164. 

O'Brien,  Lady  Susan,  95. 

Osgood  House,  President’s 
home,  209. 

Oswego,  defeat  at,  53. 

Otis,  Harrison  Gray,  letter  of, 
195. 

Pendergast,  rioter,  99. 

Phillips,  Mrs.  Ann,  mother  of 
Mrs.  Gates,  62. 

Pickering,  Sir  Edward,  166. 

Pintard,  James,  at  the  New 
Year’s  levee,  210. 

Plums,  Schuyler,  68. 

Popham,  Major,  at  Alban}’,  166. 

President’s  March,  first  played, 
218. 

“Presidoliad,”  Executive  Man- 
sion, 217. 

Proovost,  Madame,  43. 

Quincy,  Eliza,  on  favorite 
poets,  75;  marriage  of,  75. 

Quincy,  Josiah,  marriage  of, 75; 
letter  to,  148. 

Eamage,  John,  fine  clothes  of, 
212. 

Rangers,  farmer  soldiers,  49. 

Reid,  Susanna,  188. 

Remsen,  Henry,  216. 

Richmond  Hill,  17 ; home  of 
Vice-President,  220. 

Riedesel,  General,  letter  to 
Schuyler,  163. 

Riedesel,  Madame,  account  of 
visit  to  the  Schuylers’,  157- 
159. 

Robertson,  T)r.,188. 

Roohefoucauld-Liancourt,  de, 
164. 


Rodgers,  Rev.  Dr.,  110. 

Roosevelt,  Isaac,  220. 

Rosenbaum,  Dr.  Jacob,  bill  of, 
53. 

Rutherford,  Walter,  on  Chero- 
kees,  119;  on  Riedesel  chil- 
dren, 162;  on  card  plajring, 
215;  on  ladies’  sleeves,  225; 
on  General  Schuyler’s  eye- 
sight, 237. 

Rutledge,  Miss,  164. 

Saratoga,  estate  of,  64,  80; 
settlement  at,  81;  bequest  to 
John  Bradstreet,  87 ; springs 
of,  96;  in  Autumn,  98;  flax 
mills  at,  114;  in  June,  128; 
Sunday  at,  130;  plot  to  burn, 
146;  before  the  battle,  165; 
Frenchmen  at,  166;  care  of 
estate,  236. 

“School  for  Scandal,”  219. 

Schools,  at  Albany,  74. 

Schoolmasters,  among  the 
Dutch,  9. 

Schutte,  John,  first  English 
schoolmaster,  10. 

Schuyler,  Angelica  (see 
Church). 

Schuyler,  Colonel  Arent,  home 
of,  109. 

Schuyler,  Mrs.  Arent,  108. 

Schuyler,  Catherine,  daughter 
of  Catherine  Schuyler  (see 
Cochran). 

Schuyler,  Catherine,  record  of 
marriage,  1;  social  rank,  8; 
education  of,  12;  personal 
appearance,  22 ; portrait  of, 
24;  pew  in  church,  27;  visits 
Baron  Dieskau,  35;  repre- 
sentative Dutch  woman,  43; 
during  the  siege  of  Oswego, 
49;  caring  for  fugitives,  54; 


247 


INDEX 


forebodings  of,  57  ; nursing 
the  wounded,  58 ; Albany 
house  of,  64;  management  of 
household,  72;  as  land  owner, 
79;  share  in  Saratoga,  81; 
father  of,  88;  her  husband’s 
representative,  90  ; entertains 
Lady  Moore,  95  ; visits  Lady 
Moore,  98 ; returns  to  Sara- 
atoga,  112;  goes  to  Boston, 
117  ; knowledge  of  Indians, 
120;  entertains  the  Tryons, 
128;  fears  of  savages,  133; 
entertains  the  Commis- 
sioners, 136 ; journey  to 
Ticonderoga,  142 ; responsi- 
bilities of,  146 ; nurses 
Franklin,  148;  entertains 
Gates,  150;  on  the  road  to 
Saratoga,  153;  burns  the 
grain,  154;  entertains  Bur- 
govne  and  the  Riedesels, 
159;  Chastellux  on,  164;  at 
Philadelphia,  178;  at  review 
of  army,  181;  goes  to  Phila- 
delphia, 182;  back  at  Sara- 
toga, 184;  letter  to  Varick, 
190;  forgives  runaways,  205; 
at  Washington’s  theatre 
party,  217;  visits  the  Ham- 
iltons,  222;  dines  with  the 
President,  224;  personal  life 
of,  227 ; sends  presents  to 
grandchildren,  229;  grown 
stout,  233 ; entertains  El- 
kanah  Watson,  233 ; hos- 
pitalities at  Albany,  234 ; 
friendly  relations  with  Mrs. 
Washington,  235;  youthful 
looks,  235;  invited  to  Mount 
Vernon,  235;  letter  from 
gardener  to,  236 ; character 
of,  239  ; death  of,  239 ; buried 
at  Albany,  240. 


Schuyler,  Cornelia  Van  Cort- 
landt,  mother  of  Philip 
Schuyler,  29 ; a grand- 
mother, 64;  death  of,  76; 
her  estate,  78. 

Schuyler,  Cornelia  Morton 
(see  Morton). 

Schuyler,  Cortlandt,  son  of 
Catherine  Schuyler,  229. 

Schuyler,  Elizabeth  (see  Ham- 
ilton). 

Schuyler,  Gertrude  Cochran 
(see  Cochran). 

Schuyler,  John  Bradstreet, 
birth  of,  62 ; bequest  to,  87 ; 
marriage  of,  227 ; death  of, 
227. 

Schuyler,  Madame,  aunt  of 
Philip,  30 ; her  position  in 
Albany,  31;  at  New  York, 
45;  her  return,  47;  pleased 
with  Philip,  50;  death  of  her 
husband,  51;  activity  in 
military  affairs,  54;  shelter- 
ing fugitives,  54;  interview 
with  Charles  Lee,  56;  nurses 
Lee,  58;  growing  old,  64; 
taste  in  reading,  75;  arranges 
exchange  of  stolen  children, 
122. 

Schuyler,  Nellie,  pew  of,  28. 

Schuyler,  Colonel  Peter,  70; 
prisoner  in  Canada,  108. 

Schuyler,  Peter,  “Quidor,” 

120. 

Schuyler,  General  Philip,  a 
youth  of  nineteen,  1;  record 
of  marriage,  1;  at  school, 
9;  inherits  Saratoga,  18; 
“Philip  of  the  Pasture,”  18; 
as  captain,  19;  marriage,  21; 
at  Lake  George,  21 ; brings 
French  prisoners,  21;  personal 
appearance,  22;  on  the  thea- 


248 


INDEX 


tre,  45;  at  Fort  Edward, 
48;  at  Oswego,  50;  rescues 
Frenchman,  50;  brings  home 
wounded,  58;  at  Frontenac, 
60;  the  charge  of  Bradstreet’s 
affairs,  61;  goes  to  England, 
62;  captured  by  privateer, 
63 ; plums  of,  68 ; returns  from 
England,  76;  as  land  owner, 
80;  letter  to  Jay,  80;  letter 
to  his  son,  87 ; to  Yankee 
officer,  88;  tribute  to  his 
wife,  89;  buys  a newspaper, 
111;  flax  mill  of,  114;  on 
boundary  matters,  117 ; elect- 
ed to  Assembly,  124;  defends 
McDougall,  127 ; letter  to 
Duer,  128;  Bradstreet’s  ex- 
ecutor, 129 ; hears  of  Lexing- 
ton, 130 ; made  major-general, 
131 ; calls  on  Governor  Tryon, 
132;  gout  at  St.  Johns,  140; 
letter  to  Congress,  141 ; begs 
to  resign,  145 ; asks  for  lead, 
151 ; at  Saratoga,  157 ; super- 
seded by  Gates,  159  ; Chas- 
tellux  on,  166 ; letter  to  Steu- 
ben, 178;  at  Morristown,  179; 
letter  to  Arnold,  182;  letter 
from  H.  Cruger,  187 ; letter 
to  Starke,  190;  letter  from 
Duer,  191;  plot  to  abduct, 
193;  Washington  to,  194; 
interview  with  Cornelia,  203 ; 
as  a father,  204;  with  his 
boys,  206;  at  Washington’s 
theatre  party,  217 ; elected  to 
the  senate,  219;  on  death  of 
Hamilton,  220;  in  politics, 
224;  dines  with  the  President, 
224  ; defeated  for  the  senate, 
226  ; writes  of  his  wife,  229  ; 
parades  in  Albany,  231 ; pub- 
lic dinner  to,  232  ; canal  com- 


missioner, 233 ; convinces 
Mohawk  Dutchmen,  234  ; in- 
vited to  Mount  Vernon,  235; 
attack  of  gout,  235;  rela- 
tions with  Washington,  235; 
elected  to  senate,  236;  re- 
signs, 237 ; on  the  beginning 
of  the  new  century,  237 ; eye- 
sight of,  237 ; on  death  of  his 
wife,  240. 

Schuyler,  Philip,  son  of  John 
Bradstreet. 

Schuyler,  Philip  Jeremiah,  birth 
of,  119;  Chastellux  on,  165. 

Schuyler,  Van  Rensselaer,  at 
two,  132;  with  English  offi- 
cers, 162;  Chastellux  on,  165; 
at  garrison,  205;  with  his 
father,  206. 

“ Schuyler  Vase,”  120. 

Scott,  John  Morin,  102. 

Sears,  Nathaniel,  127. 

Seaton,  William,  234. 

Sedgwick,  Theodore,  receives 
the  runaways,  204;  home  in 
New  York,  *221. 

Seven  Years’  War,  14. 

Shirley,  Ann,  laments  beaux, 
19;  her  dress,  24. 

Shippen,  Miss,  164. 

Slavery  at  The  Flatts,  38;  at 
Albany,  73. 

Smith,  Miss,  has  the  intermit- 
tent, 96. 

Smith,  Mrs.  Abigail  Adams, 
321;  on  society,  49. 

Smith,  William,  history  of 
New  York,  10;  desires  a 
stair  carpet,  63;  letter  to 
Schuyler,  63;  writes  of 
Granny  Livingston,  96;  on 
Morris’s  death,  106 ; on  Drum- 
mond, 119  ; house  in  New 
York,  131. 


249 


INDEX 


Smith,  Rev.  Samuel,  75. 

Smyth,  George,  letter  of,  90. 

Starke,  General,  190. 

Starke,  Caleb,  190. 

Stirling,  Lord,  “ Old  Dry 
Goods,”  100  ; Baskiugridge, 
169;  daughters  of,  169. 

Stockton,  Anuis,  a blue  stock- 
ing, 75;  at  Morristown,  170. 

Stuart,  Ann,  238. 

Stuart,  General  Walter,  238. 

Suppawn,  described  by  Tilgh- 
man,  71. 


Talleyrand,  on  Hamilton, 

222. 

Temple,  Sir  John,  216. 

Ten  Broek,  Abraham,  letter 
to,  1;  guardian  of  Patroon, 
194;  mayor  of  Alban}',  235. 

Ten  Broek,  Cornelius,  99. 

Theatre  plays  at  Albany,  45; 
customs  at,  106;  John  Street 
Theatre,  218. 

Theatricals  at  the  President’s, 
219. 

Ticonderoga,  defeat  at,  58. 

Tilghman,  Tench,  on  funerals, 
77 ; on  Indians,  122;  his  visit 
at  the  Schuylers’,  134;  at 
Morristown,  179. 

Trinity  Church,  dedication  of, 
224. 

Trumbull,  Jonathan,  visit  to 
Albany,  150  ; visits  the 
Churches  in  London,  201. 

Tryon,  Governor,  lays  corner- 
stone, 103;  visits  Albany, 
128;  buying  land,  132;  on 
Schuyler’s  visit,  201. 

Tryon,  Mrs.,  visits  Albany, 
128. 


Van  Berchel,  Miss,  223. 

Van  Cortlandt,  Cornelia,  mother 
of  Philip  Schuyler,  29  (see 
Schuyler). 

Van  Rensselaer,  women  as 
housekeepers,  9;  wills  of,  10. 

Van  Rensselaer,  Catherine, 
(see  Catherine  Schujder). 

Van  Rensselaer,  Elizabeth,  227. 

Van  Rensselaer,  Gertrude,  pew 
in  church,  28. 

Van  Rensselaer,  Harriet,  elopes 
with  her  cousin,  188;  letters 
to,  201. 

Van  Rensselaer,  Colonel  John, 
younger  son  of  Patroon,  2; 
on  inn  keepers,  88;  troubles 
with  tenants,  99;  managing 
the  boys,  184. 

Van  Rensselaer,  Margaret 
Schuyler,  birth  of,  61;  mar- 
riage of,  193;  rescuing  her 
sister,  194;  letter  to  Wads- 
worth, 196 ; dines  at  Hamil- 
ton’s, 224;  dines  with  the 
President,  224;  death  of, 
239. 

Van  Rensselaer,  Robert,  letters 
from  London,  20. 

Van  Rensselaer,  Solomon,  188. 

Van  Rensselaer,  Stephen,  at 
Harvard,  194;  marriage  of, 
193 ; dines  at  Hamilton’s, 
224;  in  politics,  232;  public 
dinner  to,  232. 

Van  Rensselaerwyck,  manor  of, 
79. 

Van  Schaak,  Peter,  109. 

Van  Schlictenhorst,  Margaret, 
42. 

Varick,  Richard,  military  secre- 
tary, 132 ; on  Burgoyne  at 
Albany,  160;  on  trouble  of 
guests,  160;  letter  from  his 


250 


INDEX 


sister,  190 ; letter  from  Cath- 
erine Schuyler  to,  190 ; house 
of,  220. 

Verplauck,  Gulian,  126. 

Verplanck,  Mrs.,  216. 

Villefranche,  engineer,  169. 

Visscher,  Nick,  200. 

Wadsworth,  General  Dyer, 
196. 

Walker,  Captain  Ben,  171. 

Washington,  defeat  at  Fort 
Duquesne,  18;  extracts  from 
his  diary,  40;  on  springs  at 
Sarotoga,  98 ; home  of  in  New 
York,  102;  Commander-in 
Chief,  131 ; letter  to  Schuy- 
ler, 141  ; dancing  with  Mrs. 
Knox,  168 ; on  plot  to  abduct 
Schuylers,  195 ; horses  of, 
209  ; his  theatre  party,  216 ; a 
table,  217 ; calls  on  the 
Schuylers,  219  ; fond  of  the 
theatre,  219;  moves  to  Mc- 
Comb  house,  220;  neighbor 
of  Hamilton,  221;  before 
Society  of  Cincinnati,  222; 
his  miniature  painted,  223  ; 
at  dedication  of  Trinity 
Church,  224 ; expected  at 
public  dinner,  231 ; invites 


the  Schuylers  to  Mt.  Vernon, 
235 ; harmony  of  tastes,  -23h ; 
letter  to  Schuyler,  238;  letter 
from  General  Schuyler,  238. 

Washington,  Mrs.,  tufted  skirt 
of,  24;  green  satin  sack  of, 
40 ; in  camp,  167 ; receives 
the  Morristown  ladies,  171; 
drawing  room  of,  210 ; writes 
of  loneliness,  216;  eating  her 
trifle,  217;  at  table,  217; 
friendship  with  Mrs.  Schuy- 
ler, 235. 

Watson,  Elkanali,  on  Albany 
house,  66. 

Watts,  Kitty,  at  Albany,  95. 

Watts,  Miss,  101. 

Webster,  Noah,  on  New  York 
hospitality,  213 ; on  deco- 
rousness of  society,  225. 

Weddings,  ceremonies  at,  25. 

Westerlo,  Mrs.,  mother  of  the 
Patroon,  194. 

Westerlo,  Miss,  200. 

Westchester  County,  History 
of,  128;  white  Peggy,  187. 

Widow  of  Malabar,  Colonel 
Humphreys’s  play,  219. 

Wignall,  author  of  “ Darby’s 
Return,”  218. 

Witherspoon,  Dr.,  194. 


251 


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